Don't fall asleep
by The Fallen Starmaster
Summary: Tai falls asleep, but things are not the same when he wakes up. FINALLY FINISHED
1. Age Swap

Part 1:

                Age swap

                Tai felt the rays of the sun warm his face. He slowly opened his eyes and yawned. "Oh man!" he told himself, rubbing his eyes,"I've got such a headache, that must have been one hell of a night last night." He smiled wickedly to himself,"I wonder how many girl's I meet last night?"

                He went to roll out of bed like he always did, but he slammed into the floor by accident. "What the?" he asked himself,"I never fell out of bed before!"

                Suddenly, the door flew open and a very familiar girl about 16 ran in. "Tai, are you okay?" she asked.

                Tai looked at the girl strangely. "Kari?"

                "Of course," she said,"Are you sure you're okay?"

                He started looking around his room, it looked exactly like it did when he was ten-years-old. He then looked at himself, and gasped at the bright orange pajamas he was wearing. He ran past the sixteen-year-old Kari into the bathroom and jumped up to look in the mirror. "I...I'm ten years old!" he shouted.

                "Of course you are," Kari said, lighting rubbing his head,"You're my twelve year old little brother!"

                "I'm your little brother?" he asked,"what's..what's going on here?"

                Kari knelt down so she could see Tai eye to eye. "What are you talking about?"

                "I...I'm older, the oldest!" he said,"I'm older than you!"

                Kari smiled sweetly,"Of course you are, dear." She stood up and grabbed a brush from the sink and started to brush her hair,"You'd better get ready, or you're going to be late for school. "

                Tai hesitated, then started to walk out of the bathroom, seconds before Kari slammed the door. "What is going on here?" he walked back into his room, then sat down on the bed. "Okay, let's see. I was just coming back from my date with Sora, then I fell asleep, but....what happened?"

                After Tai had gotten dressed, he met Kari at the front of the apartment, wearing a high school uniform. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the door.

                "Hikari," he heard his mother scowled,"Don't tease your little brother."

                "Sorry...sorry..." Kari said, closing the apartment door.

                "_That sounds so weird!"_ Tai thought,"_How did I get here?"_

                Tai followed Kari down the stairs to the garage beneath the building and over to a red car. "My car!" Tai said, gasping.

                "Your car?" Kari said with a smile as she grabbed a set of keys from her purse and opened the door,"get in."

                "_Kari's car?"_ Tai thought as he climbed in. "When did you get a car?"

                "Mom and Dad got it for me for my sixteenth birthday," Kari said, pulling out of the garage,"Don't you remember?"

                Tai hesitated, then shook his head.

                Kari stood at a traffic light, then reached over and placed her hand on Tai's head. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

                Tai smiled slightly. _"At least the Kari in this world still cares for everybody. Wait, I've got to pretend like nothing's wrong, or she's going to worry."_ "Yeah, Imouto, I'm fine."

                "What?" Kari asked.

                Tai turned beat red, then mumbled out,"I mean, Oneesan."

                Kari sighed, then started driving again. "Okay, I guess. You're almost at school."

                Tai nodded, then turned to look out the window. Having Kari drive him to school was bad enough but having to call her 'older sister' was even worse. He sighed, remembering when he was the one in the driver's seat, and Kari was the passenger. Always trying to show off to Sora, but, now he wasn't even close to her age. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Kari pull the car up to the elementary school.

                "Tai," Kari said,"I'm going to be late if you don't get out."

                "What?" he said, noticing where he was,"Oh, okay. Goodbye Kari."

                "Bye," she said, slamming the door and driving off.

                "Am I like that?" he mumbled.

                "Taichi!"

                He turned around and saw a purple haired girl throw him into the ground. "Taichi!" she shrieked,"I'm so glad to see you!"

                "Y..Yolei?" he asked, trying to get her off of him,"What are you doing?"

                "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, right?" she asked, getting to her feet.

                _"I don't believe this!"_ Tai thought_,"Yolei and me? Oh yuck!"_

                "Tai, what are you doing?" T.K. asked, helping him to his feet,"You never fall over when Yolei tackles you to the ground."

                "Uh, I must be off today," he lied.

                "Dudes, you're here!" Davis said, walking over,"Are we ready to go?"

                "Yeah," Tai sighed,"Are we.." He was cut off when Davis walked in front of him.

                "Come on troops!" Davis said,"Let's go!"

                _"Wait a minute,"_ Tai thought, following Davis into the school,"_I think Kari and I have somehow switched places in time, everything is like it would be if I was the second child. I bet that my locker is the same one that Kari has."_

                He was right, he even knew the combination, and, because Kari told him everything about her school day all the time, he knew what classes she had. He said goodbye to Yolei and the others, and walked into the English class. However, the book they were reading, _Moby Dick_, he hadn't read scine he was in junior high. He slinked down in his seat and hoped that the teacher wouldn't call on him.

                "Taichi Kamiya!" the teacher said,"Would you please pick up where we left off?"

                "Uh..." Tai said, flipping open the book,"I...ah..wasn't here yesterday....?"

                "You were so," he said, sighing,"You didn't mark your place again, didn't you?"

                Tai hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Yes sir."

                The teacher shook his head, then marked something down in his book. "Okay, Sara, why don't you start reading."

                _"Sara?"_ Tai thought, turning his head to a blond haired girl sitting next to him. He took notice of her, it wasn't everyday that an American name was heard in a junior high school.

                Tai tried to follow along as Sara read the section of the book, it was relatively easy. Soon the bell rang and the class started to file out.

                "Hey, Tai," Sara called.

                "Oh, uh, hi," he said. He recognized everyone else in the class as friend's of Kari, but she never mentioned a Sara before.

                "Mr. Yaguna was really harsh on you," she said, "I don't think that was really fair."

                "Yeah," Tai said, following her out the door,"I just forgot my place, that wasn't any reason to shout at me."

                "I know," Sara said,"We'll, I've got to get to my next class, I'll see you later. Bye."

                "Bye," he said, watching her leave. He shrugged and tried to remember where Kari was suppose to go next.

                The rest of the day wasn't really that hard on Tai. He had been in this school not that long ago, so he pretty much knew where everything was. After a grueling day, he meet Kari outside where she sped up in her red car. "Hi Tai!" she said, as Tai got into the car,"How was your day?"

                "It could have been better," he mumbled,"Then again it could have been a lot worse."

                Kari smiled, then drove then started driving home. "You remember that Mom and Dad are going out tonight, right?" she asked.

                "Uh..yeah," he lied.

                "Well, I was suppose to babysit you, but I've got a date with Matt tonight, so they got a babysitter today."

                "You and Matt?" he shouted out.

                "Yes, I've been going out with him for over a year," she said,"You know that."

                "R-right," Tai lied again,"Right."

                Mrs. Kamiya poked her head into the room,"Uh, Tai," she said,"We're going to be leaving soon." 

                Tai looked up from where he was pretending to play with his action figures. "Okay, mommy," he said. 

                     "You're going to be good for the babysitter when she arrives, right?"

                     "Yes," Tai said, looking down.

                     "Good," Mrs. Kamiya said, leaving the room. Once she was gone, Tai sighed."This feels so weird," he said.

                     The door opened, and his now older sister, Kari, walked in, wearing a red dress."What's wrong, Tai?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him.

                     Tai looked up at her and sniffiled. "Nothing?" he asked.

                     Kari smiled. "Well, I've got something that I think you'll like."

                     "What?" he asked.

                     Kari reached behind her back and pulled out an action figure. "It's one of your transformers," she said.

                     "Why did you buy this for me?" he asked.

                     "Because you're my little brother!" she said, hugging him,"I'll see you tomorrow."

                     "Okay, Tai," Mrs. Kamiya said, kissing him on the head,"Your babysitter is

here. Good night."

                     Tai followed his mother out of his room, and when he saw his babysitter, he

gasped. "Sora!"

                     "Hi, Tai!" she said, waving her hand,"We're going to have fun tonight, right?"

                     Tai couldn't say anything. He was speechless.

                     "Well, good night," Mrs. Kamiya said, walking out of the door.

                     "Well," Sora said, turning to Tai,"What should we do?"

                     "I...I don't know," he said, still in shock,"what do you think?"

                     "I don't know," Sora said, sitting down on the couch,"Why don't you....get one of your videos, and we'll watch that, okay?"

                     Tai just nodded. Sora was flipping through the channels on the t.v. Tai ran over to the VCR and grabbed a Dragonball Z tape and put it into VCR. "Again?" Sora asked, as Tai jumped onto the couch,"Well okay."

                     _"This is too weird!"_ Tai thought, watching Sora out of the corner of his eye,"_I remember when the two of us sat on this couch, watching t.v., hand in hand, but now...now I'm too young for her.....I want to get back to my real world!"_

He suddenly found himself starting to cry. He tried to stop, but he couldn't. "Tai?" Sora asked, jumping up and running over to him,"Are you okay?"

                     "I...I just had a bad day," he sniffled,"A really bad day."

                     "Oh," Sora said, hugging him,"That's okay. Why don't you tell me all about it?"

                     "I...I woke up today, and...and...none of this is the way it's suppose to be! This isn't fair! I'm not suppose to be ten..I'm suppose to be sixteen. Why did this happen...what's going on...?"

                     Sora sat back down on the couch, with her arms still hugging Tai. "It's okay," she said,"Don't worry, it's okay." She was trying to help, but it only made things worse for Tai, because he remembered times when he and Sora hugged, and it made him cry even more. 

                     Tai started to feel his eyelids start to drop. "Tai..?" Sora asked, but Tai could only mumble. Sora nodded, then carried Tai into his room and placed him on his bed.

                     As Tai got under the sheets, Sora turned off the lights. "Good night, Tai," she said, closing the door.

                _"Maybe tomorrow will be better_," Tai thought as he drifted off to sleep. However, if he knew what would happen, he would have stayed awake.


	2. Age Regression

Part 2:

Age regression

                When Tai opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were rows of bars. "_Oh great!"_ he thought,"_I'm in jail this time!"_ He looked up and saw Kari's face staring down at him. _"Great! She's still older than me, wait, she still looks like she's eight-years-old, so why is she so...oh no!"_

                Kari turned her head and shouted,"Mom! The baby's awake!"

                _"THE BABY?"_ Tai shouted inside himself. He looked and saw that he was, definitely, inside of a crib, wearing a pair of blue pajamas. As Kari ran out the door, Tai reached up with his hand and touched his waist, he felt a diaper underneath his clothes. He started crying.

                His mother walked in, wrapping a pink robe around her, she reached down and lifted Tai up. "Awe, what's the matter?" she asked, as she rocked Tai back and forth,"Are you hungry?"

                Tai tried to speak, but all he could do was cry. "It's okay," Mrs. Kamiya said, walking him over to a changing station. Tai started crying even harder as his mother changed him and placed a fresh diaper on him. She then picked him up and walked him into the kitchen. She placed him in a high chair.

                "_This just gets better and better!"_ he whined to himself, as his mother walked over with a small can of food and a spoon. 

                "Here you go," she said, spooning out some brown food, then placing it near Tai's mouth,"come on, Tai, down the hatch."

                Tai swallowed his pride and ate the baby food. "Good boy!" his mother said, talking to him like he was a dog.

                Kari walked by, dressed in her regular clothes. "Mommy," she said,"Can I go over and play with T.K. today?"

                "No, dear," her mother said,"We're going to the mall today, remember?"

                "Yeah!" Kari said, jumping into the air,"Can I get a new dress?" 

                "We'll see," Mrs. Kamiya said, grabbing another spoonful and feeding it to him."We need to do some baby shopping, little Tai is getting so big!"

                _"Great!"_ Tai thought,"_Just what I needed to hear!"_

                Tai was then hoisted out of his high chair and brought into his room. His mother peeled the pajamas off of him and pulled a pair of baby jeans and a sweater on him. "You look like such a big boy now!"

                _"I _am_ a big boy_!" he thought, hopelessly trying to tell them, but it only came out in baby noises. His mother brought him into the family room, where his, once again, older sister Kari was sitting on the floor watching television. His mother placed him on the floor next to her. "Kari, could you watch your baby brother for a few minutes?"

                "_I'll never get use to that_!" he shivered.

                "Sure," Kari said. His mother nodded, then walked into her room. Once she left, Kari turned to Tai. "Do you want to play something?" she asked.

                Tai wanted to pour his heart out to her, but he couldn't, so he just started waving his hands around. "You're so cute!" Kari said, smiling broadly.

                Tai got down on his hands and started crawling around on the carpet. He figured that this must have something to do with the Digital World, because his life was normal until he went to camp, so he tried to go over to the computer, but Kari stopped him.

                "No, baby Tai," she said, picking him up as best she could and moving him back to the television,"We'll watch Barney, okay?"

                Tai now realized that he couldn't get to the computer, so he just laid on the floor next to Kari. Soon his mother came back out of her room, changed into her normal clothes. She knelt down and placed a thick coat around Tai, then pulled a wool cap over his head. She lifted him up and walked over to the door. "Are you ready, Kari?"

                "Yup!" she said, walking over, dressed in her jacket.

                "Okay," their mother said, closing the door,"We're off!"

                The ride in the car was much different then simply riding in the passenger seat. He was now strapped into a child's seat in the middle of the back of the van, with Kari sitting next to him. "_She's such a good sister,"_ he thought,"_What is wrong with me?! I can't believe I just thought that!"_

                 As they journeyed to the mall, Tai's mind began to wander. _"Okay, yesterday I was a ten-year-old, now I'm not even two. How did this happen? Am I being punished or....wait, I became a baby after I feel asleep! Could that be it? I'll try to fall asleep now, maybe I'll wake up in my own world."_

                He leaned back in his car seat and tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't. He was so angry he was about to start crying again, when the car rolled to a stop. "We're here!" Kari cheered and Mrs. Kamiya turned off the car. She walked around and slid open the side door, unbuckling Tai and placing him in her arms. "Okay, let's go!"

                The world was so scary and loud to Tai. He buried his head into his mother's chest. Everything just got louder and louder. He was seconds away from screaming, when his mother brought him and Kari into the mall. She brought them over to a shopping cart and placed him in the front seat.

                "There you go," she said, pulling Tai's hat off.

                "Mommy, mommy," Kari said, jumping up and down,"Let's go to the dress store! Let's go to the dress store."

                "Not right now," Mrs. Kamiya said, grabbing the cart,"but, we will, I promise."

                "Okay," Kari said, sadly. As they started walking down the inside of the mall, a very familiar girl walked over to them.

                "Hi, Mrs Kamiya."

                "Oh, hi Sora," Mrs. Kamiya said,"How are you?"

                Tai looked up and saw Sora talking to his mother. She looked like she was her regular age of 16, but, if Kari was eight, Sora should have been about eleven or twelve. Then again, Tai didn't know about anything that was going on.

                "I'm doing just fine," Sora said. She knelt down and smiled broadly. "Hi, Kari! How are you?"

                "I'm fine, Ms. Sora, thank you," she said.

                Sora stood up and saw Tai in the cart seat. He knew that his body was trying to blush, but he knew that somehow his baby body wasn't. "And who is this?"

                "This is my son Taichi," Mrs. Kamiya said.

                "Oh, look how big you've grown!" Sora said, placing her hands together in front of her,"That last time I saw you, you were only about a few months old. Now you're a big boy!"

                _"This is so embarrassing!"_ Tai thought.

                "Well," Sora said, checking her watch,"I'd better be going, Mother's expecting me back at the flower shop soon. I'll see you again later. Bye Kari. Bye bye Taichi!"

                "Can Sora babysit us again soon?" Kari asked as they started to walk away.

                "When your father and I go out again, we'll get her, I promise," Mrs. Kamiya said, smiling.

                As they continued to move through the mall, they decided to stop for lunch. While they were seated on the benches, Kari suddenly spoke up. "Mommy," she said,"Can I hold the baby?"

                _"What?"_ Tai thought, looking around,"_No, Mom, please, that's going to be too weird."_

Mrs. Kamiya thought for a second, then nodded. "Okay." She reached over and lifted up Tai, then handed him down to his big sister.

                Tai was very embarrassed sitting in his 'older' sister's lap, but he knew that he wasn't turning red. He was, however, feeling very uncomfortable, but he was fighting the urge to cry out screaming, he didn't want to hurt Kari's feelings.

                "Oh, hello, Mrs. Inoue," Mrs. Kamiya said as a woman and a girl Kari's age walked over.

                "Hello, Mrs. Kamiya," she said, bowing slightly. She lightly pushed at the girl at her side.

                "Oh, uh, Hello, Mrs. Kamiya," the girl bowed.

                "Hello, Yolie," Mrs. Kamiya said.

                While the two women started talking, Yolei walked over to Kari. "Is that Tai?" she asked.

                Kari nodded, proudly. "This is my baby brother!"

                "Can I hold him?" Yolei asked.

                Kari shook her head feircely,"No, I'm the only one who can hold him."

                _"This is sort of familiar,"_ Tai thought,"_Wait, this happened when Kari was younger, between me and Sora. Oh my gosh....I can't believe this is happening!"_ Tai suddenly became aware of another presence looking over him. He looked up and gasped. _"It's...it's that girl from yesterday-er, from when Kari and I switched ages. What is her name...?"_

                "Hi!" Kari said, very friendly to the girl,"What's your name? My name is Kari."

                "Hi," she said, smiling broadly,"I'm Sara."

                "I'm Yolei."

                _"Sara!"_ Tai thought,"_What is she doing here?"_

The young blond girl was about to ask another question, when a girl about 17 or 18 walked over and grabbed Sara my the wrist. "What do you think you're doing?" the girl asked.

                "I just came over to meet some new friends, Amanda!" she said.

                "Well, we've got to get going. Mom's waiting," the girl said. As they left, Sara glanced down at Tai, then continued on her way.

                "Well," Mrs. Inoue said, grabbing Yolei,"I'll see you later. Bye."

                "Bye," Mrs. Kamiya said, waving at them. She looked at her watch,"Well, we'd better get going."

                "Okay," Kari said, handing Tai back to his mother, who placed him in the shopping cart seat. 

                As they were leaving the mall, Tai thought he saw Sara yelling at her older sister, but like a parent would argue with a child, but his mother was walking too fast for him to see anything more.

                Once they were at home, Mrs. Kamiya walked over to the changing station. If Tai could have blushed, he would have as his mother changed his diaper. After that was done, she put him in the high chair, and started to feed him again. He was too tired to resist her.

                Ironically, after he was fed, she picked him up and placed him in his crib. "Have a niece nap, Taichi," she said, lightly rubbing his head. She walked over to the door and shut off the light, then left.

                _"What an experience!"_ he thought, as his eye started to drop_,"I hope I turn back to normal tomorrow......"_

            Unfortunately for Tai, things are going to get a lot worse, before they get better.


	3. Prodigal Son

Part 3:

                     Prodigal Son

                     The first thing Tai noticed when he woke up was that his room was that his room was back to normal. He threw off the sheets and jumped up,"Am I back to normal?" he asked, then frowned when he heard his voice. He slowly walked over to the mirror that was on his desk. He sighed. "I'm ten-years-old again. I don't believe it."

                     "Honey?" he heard a woman's voice call out,"Are you up?"

                     _"That doesn't sound like mom..."_ he thought, watching the door. He had been through the Digital World, fought in battles, been through two parallel dimensions, but nothing could have prepared him for who walked through the door. "Sora?"

                     The red head smiled slightly. "Yes, but, I'd prefer, 'Mom', okay?"

                     "M-Mom? Since when have you been my mother?"

                     "Since the day the doctors took you out of my....nevermind," Sora sighed,"What's with the twenty questions today?"

                     "Oh...uh..nothing...Mom." He had trouble getting the last word out. He would have never thought that this could happen to him, although the thought of him actually touching that area of Sora's body did bring a smile to his face.

                     "What is it?" she asked.

                     Tai's smile quickly disappeared and he started blushing. "Nothing!" he said.

                     "Well, you'd better get dressed, or you're going to be late for school," she said, walking out of his room.

                     "This is getting just too weird," he said to himself as he pulled out of the blue pajamas and opened the drawers of his dresser. A smile formed over his face,"Hey, at least I still dress the same as I did when I was ten!" He pulled out a pair of brown shorts and a blue short sleeve shirt. He walked over to the mirror and smiled,"Just like when I was back in the Digital World! Cool!"

                     When he approached the breakfast table, he saw two plate settings at the table. _"Just Sora and me, no father or siblings? Hmm...."_

                     "What are you doing?" Sora asked, "Hurry up and eat breakfast, or you're going to be late for school!

                     "She's sure yells alot more then I remember," Tai mumbled as he sat down. He quietly ate his breakfast as Sora ran around the apartment, doing laundry and other chores. 

                     When Tai was done eating, she ran in and grabbed his hand,"Come on," she said, yanking him out of the chair, let's go. We're going to be late." 

                     "Okay, Mom," he said, following her out of the apartment and down the elevator. _"I've been through many strange experiences so far, but I don't think I'll ever get use to calling my girlfriend that!"_

                     School was pretty much the same as before, well, when Tai and Kari switched ages, almost exactly, so, he decided to try something. He took a deep breath and walked into the English class. The same teacher looked up and smiled at him. "Tai," he said,"I'm a little surprise to see you here this early. Usually you come in seconds before the bell rings."

                     Tai laughed as he sat down. _"At last, something went right."_ He opened his _Moby Dick_ book and started to scan the pages.

                     "Hi Tai."

                     He looked up. "Sara?" he asked.

                     "Yes," the blond haired girl laughed,"Did you forget who I was?" 

                     "No..of course not," he said, watching as she sat down next to him. _"In each one of my....changes...she's appeared. Why? Who is she?"_

                     Tai was even more surprised when he found that Sara was in every one of his classes. He couldn't help but find himself thinking about her all day. He was wondering if she was the one putting him through all this, if that was true, then maybe she knew how he could get back to his normal world.

                     During lunch, he spied her seated with a group of other girls at the far end of the room. He took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Hi, Sara."

                     She looked up from where she was eating her lunch. The girls instantly stopped talking and stared at him. "Yes?" Sara asked, a little more aggressively then before.

                     "I want to talk to you, alone," Tai said.

                     One of the other girls, a black haired one, started laughing,"Owe, Tai's got a crush on Sara. Ha ha ha!"

                     "That's enough, Sam!" Sara barked, like she was giving orders. The black haired girl instantly stopped. She turned to Tai,"Whatever you want to ask, you can say it in front of my friends."

                     Tai took a deep breath,"I want you to take me home."

                     "What?" Sara asked, confused,"What are you talking about."

                     "Take me back to my own world. I want to go back to normal!"

                     "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, shaking her head.

                     "You do," Tai said,"You've been in each one of my changes. I know you know what's going on!"

                     Sara backed away from Tai, then looked over Tai's shoulder. Her eyes seemed to glow for a second, then faded. Tai turned around and saw a very large twelve-year-old with red hair with black stripes, cracking his knuckles. "Takenouchi!" he shouted,"What are you doing to my girlfriend?"

                     _"Takenouchi? Oh wait, that's probably me."_ "Um, I'm not doing anything to your girlfriend," he gulped,"We were just talking."

                     "Don't believe him, Derwood!" Sara shouted.

                     _"Derwood?"_ Tai thought as the massive girl swung his fist at Tai. He ducked and slammed his fist into the bully's stomach. Derwood gasped for air, then fell over. Tai smiled to himself as he turned around, only to see a teacher standing in front of him.

                     "Let's go!" he shouted, dragging Tai down the hall.

                     "I'm very disappointed in you, Taichi," Sora said, swirving the car to miss another car,"Fighting? I always told you to avoid fights..."

                     Tai wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, his mind was thinking of Sara. He knew that she knew something, and he was sure the way her eyes sparkled right before the bully arrived was her defense mechanism. She didn't want him asking any questions, that had to be it. "Are you listening to me Taichi?!"

                     Tai snapped to attention. "Yes, Mom," he said, automatically.

                     "You've got two weeks detention," Sora growld,"And you're going to spend it working in the flower shop.."

                     "Great," Tai mumbled,"Stupid flowers." He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his cheek. He spun around and saw Sora bringing her hand back.

                     "Don't you ever talk back to me," she said, resting her hand on the steering wheel,"I am your mother, and I will not have it!"

                     Tai turned his gaze back to staring out the passenger window, tears slowly starting to fall down his cheeks. "_I can't wait to get out of this world_," he thought.

                     Tai and Sora didn't speak for the rest of the afternoon. Tai sat upstairs in his room, trying to figure out what was going on. First he and Kari switched ages, then he was a baby, now he was younger, but was also Sora's son. He knew that that girl, Sara knew what was happening to him, but she wasn't going to talk. What was he going to do?

                     The door to his room opened and Sora peeked inside. "Tai?" she asked,"Can I talk to you?"

                     Tai felt his sore cheek, then shrugged.

                     "Please don't be like that," Sora said,"I..I'm sorry. You don't know what it's like to be a mother, I always have to be worried, I always have to try to provide the best for you. I...I'm sorry."

                     "It's okay," Tai said,"I...I'm sorry that I was in a fight. I didn't mean to."

                     Sora smiled, then hugged him. "You're still punished though."

                     "Okay," Tai said,_"By tomorrow I won't even be here! Ha!"_

                     "You'd better get to bed," Sora said, walking out.

                "Bed time," Tai said, jumping into bed,"it's quickly becoming my favorite time of the day. " He slipped under the covers, and soon was fast asleep.


	4. A very different world

Part 4:

A very different world...

When Tai woke up the next morning, he was afraid to open his eyes, but did anyway. His room was totally different, where he once had pictures of sport stars and female models, but, now there was none. His desk was now white and pink, with stuffed animals covering it. There was a closet filled with female clothes of all sorts, next to a white dresser. "Great," he said to himself,"I'm younger than Kari again, she's taken over our room." He threw off his sheets, then screamed.

He was wearing a pair of yellow and pink pajamas, with white stars. He pulled at the collar and looked inside. He saw a white bra covering his breasts. He pulled away the waist of the pants and saw a pair of white panties. "Oh nonononononono! No!"

The door to his room flew open and his mother walked in. "Tai?" she asked,"What's the matter, are you okay?"

"Mom!" he screamed in a higher pitched voice,"I'm a girl!"

"Of course you are," she said,"Why did you scream?"

"I...I...I...m-must have just had a bad dream.."

"Okay," his mother said,"Why don't you get dressed? Breakfast will be ready in a minute." She closed the door.

Tai sat in bed, hyperventilating. "Okay," he said,"all I've got to do is last until night, then I'll switch worlds again. I hope. How hard could this be?" He looked down and noticed how his breasts moved up and down when he breathed heavily. He felt that was too weird so he got control of his breathing. "Okay, I've got to get dressed."

He climbed out of bed and walked over to the closet, and saw a green skirt and top hanging on a hanger near the door. "I guess I'm still in high school, which means a girl's school uniform. Ug." He pulled off the pajamas, catching a glance of himself in the mirror. He saw a petite teenage girl with long brown hair reaching the middle of her back.

"Wow," he thought,"I don't look that bad. I don't see an ounce of fat anywhere on me." He then shook his head,"What am I thinking? Oh man!" He pulled on a white t-shirt, then grabbed the skirt. He felt a shiver up his spine as he pulled the skirt over his waist. he then pulled on the green top and a pair of white socks. He looked at himself in the mirror again,"This is too weird!" he said,"and I thought being Sora's son was strange, oh, my hair is a mess." He grabbed a brush smoothing his hair down. "There, I won't draw any unwanted attention now."

Taking a deep breath, he walked outside his room. He saw his mother at the table with a large pink bird. "Biyomon?" he asked,"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just came for a visit," she said.

"From Sora's?"

"No," she said, "From the Digital World. Tai, are you okay?"

Tai reached up and touched his head. "Just a little headache, that's all,": he said, sitting down at the table.

Biyomon nodded, and continued eating. "_Biyomon__ must be my partner in this reality__.__.__.__.__"_ Tai thought,_"So__, does that mean Sora is a guy, and has an Agumon?"_

Tai just shrugged and finished his breakfast. There was a knock on the door. "That's Mmi," Mrs. Kamiya said,"You'd better hurry, or you're going to be late."

"R..Right," Tai said, grabbing his backpack and opening the front door. Mimi was standing on the other side, in a green school uniform with pink bows across the skirt. "Do you like them?" she asked,"I put them on last night."

"Uh...sure," Tai said, closing the door.

"So," Mimi asked,"Are you and Matt going to the dance on Friday?"

_"Matt?"_ Tai mentally shouted,"_Oh__, that__ is disgusting__.__ I can't think of anything more sick!"_

Mimi sighed. "Sora hasn't even asked me yet. I hope he's not going to break up with me."

"_I stand corrected,"_ Tai thought.

Mimi continued to talk as they walked to school. Tai found it was pretty easy to pretend to talk like a girl, he just had to stay away from subjects like sexy women and how many people he slept with.

When they reached the school, two guys ran up to them, one with blond hair, the other with orange hair. "Matt! Sora!" Mimi yelled,"Over here!"

_"Sora?"_ Tai thought,_"He's__ pretty hot! What the hell is wrong with me? I never started to feel like my role before! What__.__.__.__what is wrong with me?"_

"Hi sweetheart," Matt said, wrapping his hand around Tai's waist,"How did you enjoy last night?"

Tai shivered slightly. "Oh, it was..oh, it was lovely," he said, struggling to smile,"I can't wait to do it again."

Matt lightly kissed him on the check. "Oh," he said, disapointed,"There's the bell. Well, I'll see you later."

"Sure," Tai said, waiting until everything was looking the other way before whipping his cheek.

"Owe!" Mimi said, brushing up against him to whisper in his ear,"Is someone finally wearing make-up?"

Tai didn't know what to say, so he just smiled. "That would be telling."

Mimi just nodded. Tai felt a slight breeze whipping his skirt around his bare legs. "I can't stand this things!" he said, a little angry, following her into the school.

Tai found that his school schedule was pretty much the same as it was in his real world. He was able to make it through the first few classes without much trouble, he just had to keep remembering that he was wearing a skirt. He had a few times were he sat down and the coldness of the seat literally nipped him in the rear.

The real problem came during gym. Tai knew that in this world he was a girl, so there was nothing out of the ordinary for a girl to go into the girl's locker room, but he kept feeling as though someone was going to throw him out any minute.

He reached into his gym bag and pulled out a pair of girl's gym shorts. He shivered slightly, and started to remove the skirt, when a familiar girl walked over to him. "Hi, Tai," she said, sitting down next to him.

"_That's the girl that was with Sara,"_ he thought,"_Sam__, that was her name__.__ This keeps getting weirder and weirder__._"

"Hi, Sam," he said, pulling on the girl's gym shorts,"How's Sara?"

"Sara?" Sam asked, opening her eyes,"My younger sister? She's fine, why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering," he shrugged, pulling off the green top and t-shirt,"_Sister__? Last world they were friends__.__ What is going on here?"_

What little amount of concentration Tai did have was lost for the rest of the day. He knew that Sara, Sam, and that bully that almost beat him up in the last world...Derwood, all had some connection to what was happening to him, but unfortunately, he couldn't find Sam after gym period. He spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what was happening, but gave up when school was over.

"This has really been an enlighten experience," he sighed, entering the apartment,"I'll never make fun of Sora for having to wear this uniform again."

Biyomon was nowhere in sight, so he figured that she must have gone back to the Digital World. He walked into his room to change, but when he opened the dresser draws, he didn't find any pants. He did, however, see a note from his mother telling him that she was not able to put any clothes in the dryer, so his jeans were still soaking wet in the washer. He didn't want to wear the uniform all day, so after he removed the uniform, he, reluctantly, pulled a pink short sleeve shirt with a heart in the middle and a light red skirt. He was planning on sitting around the house until it was time for bed, when the doorbell. It was Mimi, dressing in a white cowboy dress.

"Come on Tai!" she called, dragging him into the hall,"The others are waiting!"

"W-what?" he said, "What are you talking about?"

"We're going to the mall, remember?"

Down in the lobby of the apartment, he saw Yolei, Matt and the male version of Sora standing there. Davis was there too, but also a girl."Wow!" Matt grinned,"you really look cute in that skirt."

Tai blushed, trying to pull the skirt down further,"Thanks."

"Come on!" Matt glanced at his watch,"I want to get back before the sports game."

"Really, who's playing?" Tai asked, only to have everyone stare at him.

"Tai," Matt said,"You don't like sports."

"Oh, um, well...I thought maybe I'd give it a try," he laughed nervously, following them out of the building.

By the time Tai returned, it was already past nightfall. He mother was making dinner, so he decided to take a shower, trying to look too long at his new body. After he had eaten, he watched a little television, then had to spend an hour talking to Mimi on the telephone, before going to bed.

_"I can't wait to get out of this world!"_ he thought, closing his eyes.

Hey, I finally updated, huh? I'm going to try and finish this story, but, I need your help. I need to know some worlds that Tai can be in which he physically changes each time, or something important about him, like Sora being his mother, changes. It would really be a big help.


	5. Change into Digital Champions

Part 5

                     'Change into Digital Champions.."

                     Tai almost dreaded opening his eyes this time, but forced himself to. The room looked so similar to the way it did in the last world that Tai thought he was still a girl, and he soon wished that he still was.

                     He found that he was lying at the foot of a king sized bed with pink sheets. Glancing up towards the head, he saw a figure lying under the sheets. He wondered how that was, and was about to look, when he realized that his whole body was now only taking up about a foot and a half.

                     He quickly glanced at himself and realized he wasn't wearing any clothes! On top of that, he was covering in brown fur! His feet were much bigger then they should have been for his body size, and his hands were covered with yellow gloves with large claws. on them. He spun his head completely around and found himself staring at the mirror on the back of the closet door and caught a very good reflection of himself.

                     He looked exactly like Gatomon, except for brown fur and his regular mop of hair on the top of his head. He got up and walked over to get a closer look, surprised how easy he found it to walk on all fours. After closer examination, he found that he was once again male, so he found that comforting at least. 

                     He spun around when he heard the person in the bed moving. It was Kari. "Good morning Taimon," she yawned.

                     _"Taimon, huh?"_ he thought,"_I must be her Digimon partner."_

                     "Good morning," Kari said again.

                     "Oh, ah, good morning,"Tai said quickly,"Did you sleep well?"

                     Kari shrugged, walking out of the room,""I guess."

                     Tai followed her out of the room and into the kitchen. He saw that one of the chairs had a smaller seat inside. He figured that was for him, so he jumped onto the booster seat and glanced around the table. 

                     "Hi guys," Mrs. Kamiya said, walking over from the counter and placing a dish in front of Kari and Tai,"Bon appetite!"

                     Tai found it hard to eat the food with giant claws, but he soon was able to get the hang of the chopsticks and finished. Tai glanced up as Kari walked over to him, dressed in her usual attire with a backpack in one hand. "Come on," she said, picking him up by the mane on the back of his neck,"You know the drill."

                She shoved him into the backpack and zipped it closed. "_Just great,"_ he thought,as he felt Kari swing the backpack onto her back,"_I'm being forced to travel as a text book. At least there isn't any girly perfume or anything for me to accidentally spray on myself. I wonder where we're going though..."_

                Tai didn't know how long he was inside of Kari's backpack, but he soon felt himself touch the ground and Kari unzipping the top. "We're here," she grinned.

                Tai stuck his furry head out and saw that they were in the computer lab of the school. The other Digidestined and Digimon were there also. 

                "Hi, Taimon," Patamon said, hovering over to him,"Are you feeling okay?"

                "Yeah, why?" he asked.

                "You seem slightly...different."

                "No, I'm just fine!" he quickly said.

                "Okay guys," Yolei said, holding her Digivice to the screen,"Let's go!"

                Tai felt the familiar rush of light and wind, then found himself in the Digital World soil once again. He glanced around and saw that they were in a well wooded forest. "What are we doing here?" Tai asked.

                "We're destroying the Control Spires," Kari said,"I'm really starting to worry about you."

                "Wait..now I remember," Tai lied,"Sorry, must have had something else on my mind."

                She just nodded, then walked over with Yolei. "Come on!" she called. Tai quickly treaded after her.

                Tai never realized how difficult the Digimon actually worked before. He had spent the better part of the entire day destroying the dark towers. He found that his attacks where the same as Gatomon's. His paws did hurt from using his Lightning Paw attack, but the good news was they had destroyed a large number of the towers.

                "That sure is tiring," Veemon sighed, sitting down for a rest,"how many did we destroy?"

                "I don't know," Davis said,"I lost count."

                Tai's ears suddenly shot up. "What is it?" Kari asked.

                "I don't know," Tai said, spinning around to glance at the top of the hill where they were resting,"Someone's up there!"

                "It's the Digimon Empress!" Davis shouted.

                _"Empress?"_ Tai thought, straining his eyes. The figure was dressed in the garb of the Digimon Emperor, but was definitely a girl, one that Tai recognized. "_Sam? The same girl from the last world. That dog-like Digimon at her feet with...blond fur?  It looks like...Sara?"_

                The Empress clenched her fist together,"You've destroyed nearly a lifetime's worth of work! You're going to pay dearly for this! Attack them Saramon!"

                The dog like Digimon leapt forward and knocked Tai to the ground. The two of them rolled over into a darkened cave, too small for the other Digidestined to crawl into. The other Digimon had problems of their own as the Empress started attacking with a horde of enemies.

                "Alright," Tai said, swinging his paw at Saramon,"What is going on here? I know that you know!"

                "I have no idea what you're talking about," Saramon grinned, kicking him off of her.

                "Then why are you smiling?" he shouted, standing up,"I just want to get back to my own world, that's all."

                "And what if you can't?" she asked.

                "What do you mean?"

                "What I mean, 'Taimon', is that there are an infinite number of realities out there, you come from just one possible reality."

                "I figured that much out myself already, 'Saramon'."

                The blond dog Digimon smiled slightly,"I bet you didn't know this: the walls between each reality don't merge together by themselves..."

                "Are you saying somebody is doing this to me?" Tai demanded.

                Saramon crossed her paws,"Tell me, does reality change around you, or are you moving into different worlds?"

                "I...I assumed I was moving into different worlds."

                "That is correct," she said,"Now, you are filling the role of yourself in different realities, right?"

                Tai nodded.

                "And each time you move into a different world, the Tai from the previous reality returns to his role, correct?"

                "I guess."

                "Then isn't there a void?"

                "What do you..." suddenly light dawned on his furry face,"My world!...Are you saying that the one who is switching me between worlds, is....another me?"

                Saramon just grinned. She raised her paw and slammed it into her jaw, then propelled herself out of the cave. "Wait!" Tai cried, running after her, but found she was already in the arms of the Digimon Empress. The other Digimon had defeated the Empress's soldiers.

                "This war isn't over!" the Empress shouted,"This war isn't over!" She and Saramon vanished in a cloud of smoke.

                "We won!" Davis shouted,"Yes, another victory for us!"

                "Taimon," Kari ran over to him,"What did you do to Saramon? It looks like you really hurt her."

                _"I didn't do anything,"_ he thought.

                Later that night, Tai sat on the edge of Kari's desk, staring out the window at the night sky. _"What if what Sara was talking about is true? Did another me steal my world for himself-or herself! I know there is at least one other reality where I was a girl, but why would she want to become a boy? Could it be Taimon, but why would he leave Kari? He's her Digimon partner. It couldn't have been my baby self, he's barely old enough to talk. "_ A chilling thought entered his mind,_"What if I haven't even seen his world yet. Maybe it's so horrible that that was the only way out."_ He felt a shiver down his spine that no doubt made the hair on his back arch up.

                "Taimon!" Kari called,"Time for bed."

                Tai jumped off of the desk with ease and jumped onto the edge of Kari's bed, where she was already starting to drift off._"I just hope there is a way to get back to my own world,"_ he thought, drifting to sleep.


	6. Two of a kind

Part 6:

                Two of a kind

                Tai awoke when the sun beams streamed down on his face. He sat up and glanced around the room, but his eyes focus on the mirror behind the door. He walked over and glanced at his reflection. He was once again human, which he was thankful for. However, he didn't appear to be his regular age of 16, but he looked like he was five. He sighed, then went to examine this world.

                His room looked similar to his real world, with both his and Kari's stuff divided in the room, only usually his stuff took up more room, but now it seemed both were equally distributed.

                He heard a yawn from behind him and when he turned around he was surprised to see an five-year-old Kari smiling at him. "G'morning Taichi."

                "Kari," he said,"Y-you're the same age as me!"

                "Well, we're twins, right?" she laughed slightly.

                _"Twins, huh? Well, that's not so bad."_

                "Come on!" Kari said, grabbing Tai and pulling him into the kitchen.

                "What are we doing?" Tai asked.

                "Shh!" Kari said, putting her finger in front of her lips,"We can't wake Mom, we'll get in trouble!"

                "What are we going to do?" Tai whispered.

                "The cookies, remember?" Kari asked, awkwardly pushing one of the chairs across the room so it was leaning against the counter.

                Tai nodded,"Yeah," he lied.

                "I'll hold the chair so you don't fall," Kari said, pulling Tai over to the chair,"Then hand the cookies to me, okay?"

                "Um, sure," Tai said, climbing onto the chair. He instantly noticed how small he was when he was five, he could hardly reach that far at all. He had finally gotten his hands on the cookies, when Kari started whispering fearcly to him.

                "Mom's awake!" she hissed.

                Tai shoved the cookies back, then jumped onto the floor. They quickly pushed the chair back and Tai followed Kari into the living room where she turned on the television. A moment later the door to their parent's room opened up and Mrs. Kamiya walked out. 

                "Good morning," she said, walking over and giving her two children hugs,"Did you have any bad dreams last night?"

                _"You have no idea!"_ Tai thought, but joined his twin sister in shaking their heads.

                "I'll get breakfast," their mother said,"Don't forget today is picture day, so I want you wearing the clothes we picked out last night."

                _"Picture day?"_ Tai thought as he sat back down on the couch,_"Might as well ride this world out."_

                He turned to look at the television, but saw that Kari had already turned to a television program. "Sailor Moon?" he shouted,"I don't wanna watch Sailor Moon!" 

                _Hey, I did that pretty good. I saw just like a real little kid."_

                "Tai!" his mother shouted, from the kitchen,"You know the rules, Kari gets to watch her show first, then you can watch yours!"

                _"I never realized how much I bullied Kari,"_ he thought sadly,"_I always got to do everything, while she had to wait for the off chance she might get to do what she wanted. We always watched my t.v. shows first, my stuff was always all over the room...I never realized how much of a jerk I was."_

                Tai realized that even breakfast was different. His mother demanded that both he and Kari would start at the same time, and one would have to wait until the other was finished before they could leave the table. 

                After breakfast, they had to immediately return to their rooms to dress for school. Their mother pulled out the clothes they would have to wear for picture day. Tai was absolutely disgusted at having to wear the tiny three piece suit. He knew that he was going to get made fun of later. Kari was wearing a frilly pink dress, but little girls could wear something like that, and no one makes fun of them. At that age, boys knew all too well about teasing.

                Tai was only slightly surprised to see that both he and Kari got to sit in the front of the car, and that they took turns singing to the different songs on the radio. _"I can't get over this," _he thought,"_Everything in the world is equal. In my normal world everything about Kari and I was..mostly I. In the world where she was older and I was younger, she had the upper hand, but now...everything is completely equal. It makes me wish that she really was my twin."_

                After Mrs. Kamiya pulled the car into the school parking lot, she helped her two children out of the car, then held both of their hands as they walked into the school. When they came closer to the group of children and parents, Tai kept swinging his head around, glancing at each one.

                "What are you looking for?" Mrs. Kamiya laughed.

                "No one!" he said, turning back to looking frontways. _"Where is Sara? She usually shows up by now."_ As they walked through the classroom door, Tai spied a big little boy sitting in a desk in the back. _"Him! That's that boy that tried to beat me up in the world where I was Sora's son. What was his name......it was so weird that...Derwood! That was it! What is he doing here? He must be another one like Sara and Sam, but, why wasn't he with them? Hmm...."_

                Tai found that both he and Kari sat next to each other a few rows in front of Derwood. Tai could feel his eyes burning into his back.

                "Good morning class!" a cheerful woman with long brown hair and glasses walked in.

                "Good morning, Miss Namiske!" the children all called out. All except Tai that is, who knew who this woman was.

                _"Sam!"_ he shouted to himself_ thought for a second that they had abandoned me. I really need to talk to her or Sara. I need to know what is happening! No more little clues."_

                Sam appeared to be a mild-manner first-grade teacher, but Tai knew otherwise. He really didn't pay much attention to Sam's lesson, he knew everything she was teaching already, besides, he had more important things to worry about. In the last world, Sara had given him so important clues about what was going on. Tai was pretty sure that Sara meant to tell him that he was being thrown from world to world because another Tai had stolen his world. He had to get back there, even though he didn't know how, but either Sara or Sam had to know, and he was going to find out.

                When picture time came, Sam herded the class down the halls of the school. Tai and Kari were near the back, with Derwood right behind them. Tai waited until Kari was talking to another little girl before he decided to talk to Derwood, he never got the chance, however, as Kari decided it was time to be funny.

                "Taichi!" she said, laughing,"How about if we pretend to be each other when we get out pictures?"

                "What?" he asked.

                "Yeah," Kari giggled,"Ya know, twins can fool oder people by pre'tendin' to be each other."

                "Kari, we're not identical twins."

                "Wouldn't it be fun?" she laughed.

                _"I want to retract my earlier wish about Kari really being my twin."_

                Except for that part, Tai figured that the day had gone pretty well. For some reason, Derwood had disappeared after the pictures, but Tai still had Sam to talk to. After the school day was over, Tai was going to go up to talk to her, when Kari grabbed his arm again and started pulling him out the door.

                "Kari!" he shouted,"What are you doing?"

                "Mommy told me to make sure you didn't get lost again!" she shouted back, "Sora's waiting for us!"

                _"Sora? I think this is going to get even weirder."_

                Outside in the parking lot, Tai saw a young woman that had to be Sora, but Tai judged her to be around 25, she looked the same except her hair was now alot longer.

                "Hi guys," she grinned, opening the back door of her car for them,"Hop on it and we'll get going."

                Tai took a last look at Sam as she was leaving the building before he jumped inside of the car after Kari. He was surprised to see that there was an orange haired boy sitting on the seat next to the other door, with Kari in the middle of him and Tai. 

                Tai knew that Sora was waiting, so he shut the door and buckled up. He glanced frontwards and saw that there was an older blond haired girl sitting in the passenger seat. This girl turned around and smiled at Tai and Kari. "Hi!" she said,"Don't mind Mastudo, he's a little grumpy today."

                "I am not, Arake!" the boy shouted. Tai judged that the boy was about five or six, and the girl was eight or nine. He figured that the boy, Matsudo was Sora's son, but the girl, Arake, looked like Matt's daughter.

                "Mom!" Arake said,"Matsudo's yelling again."

                "_Sora's children!"_ Tai silently shouted,"_Then that must mean that she and Matt are....I really want to get out of this world."_

                Tai was able to leave the car ride a lot quicker then this world, as Sora dropped them off in front of the building and into their mother's arms. Once they got upstairs into their apartment, Tai and Kari were all too eager to shed their school clothes and into something more comfortable. Tai was hoping that Sara would show up in some form by the end of the day, but she didn't. Tai was stuck playing board games with Kari until the end of the night. He was relieved that they didn't have to take a bath together, but they both had the same bed time.

                There weren't even any bunk beds, but twin beds separated by a simple lamb on a stand. As Tai felt sleep wash over him, he glanced over at Kari,"Hey, are you still awake?"

                "Yeah," Kari yawned,"I'm not tired! Okay, maybe..a...'yawn'...little."

                "Kari, I want to tell you how happy I am that you are my sister....and I'm sorry if I ever bullied you even once."

                "What?" Kari asked,"I think I'd bett..." She was alseep before she could even finish.

                "Yeah," Tai smiled, knowing the last thing he would do as Kari's twin would be to fall asleep at the same time.


	7. Prelude to Destruction

Chapter 7:

                Prelude to Destruction

                When Tai opened his eyes this time, he noticed that his room was filled with a variety of toys and video games. In fact, his bed was larger then it normally was. "I must be young in this time again," he said, jumping out of the bed. He walked over to the mirror on the side of the door, and gasped. 

                "Hey, I've got short hair" he said, running his hand through it,"Hmm, it looks like I'm five or six. Well, it wasn't the youngest I've been. At least I don't need diapers now!"

                He smiled slightly, then opened the door into the hall and saw a much younger version of his mother grin at him,"Good morning, Tai."

                "_Mom, is that you?"_ he thought,"_Wow, she's really young."_

                "How did you sleep, son?" she asked,"Anymore bad dreams?"

                "No," he shook his head.

                His mother sighed,"That's good, I was really getting worried."

                Tai just shrugged and started to walk into the kitchen, but past the small stand that contained framed pictures. Tai saw that one of the pictures had his mother holding a baby in her arms while she was standing under a large banner that read HAPPY GRADUATION!

                "My mother had me when she was still in high school?" he whispered, glancing towards the kitchen,"No wonder she looks so young. Do I even have a father in this world?"

                "Taichi!" his mother called,"Breakfast is ready."

                In any event, he was able to spend most of the morning watching shows he had not seen since he was really little, before he found himself being lead by his mother out to an extremely new car.

                "_Maybe my father is some super rich millionaire,_" he thought as his mother strapped him into the front seat. "Um, where are we going, Mommy?"

                "To the beach, remember?" she said, driving out of the parking lot.

                "_The beach, that's pretty cool.How long am I going to keep shifting through worlds like this?"_ he thought, watching the scenery fly by,"_Will I keep going through worlds, until the end of time? I have got to figure out a way out of this, but how? Maybe if I wait long enough, I'll end up in a world where I'm super smart or something...but, _I_ don't change, just the world...Jeez, I'm really confused now."_

                He knew that the car ride was going to take much longer, so he decided to drift off to sleep. 

                He opened his eyes when he felt the car slow to a stop."We're here," his mother said, jumping out of the car. She ran around to the other side and helped Tai out of his seat. "Now stay here," she said, "I've got to get something out of the trunk."

                _"Wait a second? How come I'm still in this world? Why haven't I changed....unless it needs to be at night, but why?"_

                As his mother was reaching inside the back of the car, he turned around in the mall parking lot and saw two older teenage girls walk past them, both wearing jeans shorts, unbuttoned shirts and carrying bags over their arms, one with red hair, and the other with brown hair. "Sora, Kari!" he shouted out without thinking.

                The two girls turned around and saw Tai staring up at him. "Oh, hello," they both said.

                "You're such a cute little boy," Kari said, kneeling down and lightly pinching him on the check. Tai was surprised to see that Kari was wearing a very revealing pink bikini, she never wore anything like that.

                "Where's your Mommy?" Sora asked, picking Tai up. Tai enjoyed the feeling of Sora's body against his, separated only by her yellow bikini.

                "Over there," Tai pointed to where his mother was just closing the trunk.

                "Excuse me, Miss," Kari said, running over,"Is this your son?"

                Tai's mother twirled at them,"Oh my...Tai!" she shouted, lifting him away from Sora,"I told you to stay right there. I'm sorry, I hope he didn't bother you."

                "Oh, it was no bother at all," Kari giggled,"I wish I had a little brother as cute as him. All I've got is a sister."

                "She means me," Sora nodded,"I'm Sora, and this is my younger sister, Kari."

                "It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Kamiya bowed,"Enjoying a day at the beach? Trying to find some guys?"

                "Yeah," Sora grinned,"And a little fun too."

                _"I don't even _want_ to think about what that means,"_ Tai thought, enjoying the ride in his mother's arms. Tai kept this eyes on Sora and Kari and until he lost them in the sea of people on the beech.

                Tai was surprised how much fun he was really having. His mother had set up near a spot not too far from the water, which gave the sand the most malleability. Every time he had gone to the beech before, he always had to be older, an adult, but he was a little five-year-old boy this time, he could do stuff like playing in the sand and building castles. He found that he didn't outgrow it as much as he thought, all he had to do was 'forget' he was really sixteen years old, and just really play, like only a kid would. Only he couldn't keep his eyes off of Sora and Kari.

                He had found them again in the people, both were sunbathing, lying on their backs. Tai didn't like the idea of Kari wearing something like that bikini, but he was enjoying Sora's swimsuit. He just wished that he would be able to return to his own world and return to his Sora.

                "You can, you know."

                He twirled around and saw a very familiar five-year-old girl with blond hair smiling at him. "Sara!" he shouted, jumping up. He ran over and grabbed her by her swimsuit,"I want answers, now!"

                "Alright," she said.

                Tai dropped her,"Start talking."

                "You realize, I can't tell you everything yet," Sara explained, sitting down to help him build the sandcastle,"But, I can tell you that another you has stolen your world, and that creates a time warp, in which reality is trying to repair itself. You are being shunted from world to world because reality is trying to repair the gap."

                "Why do I only change at night?"

                "You can travel through worlds at night, or when the sun starts to go down, because, the break in realty is stronger."

                "Why would another me, do this?"

                "I can't tell you, but, you will find out for yourself."

                "What do you mean?"

                "You must travel through that reality," she sighed,"Before you return home."

                "Can you send me there?" he asked.

                "Yes, but..."

                "Then do it!" Tai said, standing up,"I want to get home!"

                Sara sighed,"I can't...it's too dangerous...and.."

                "Please!"

                She sighed,"I....."

                "What?" he asked, turning around. He saw an adult Derwood standing on the boardwalk, staring at them before walking on his way.

                "Isn't he one of your friends?" Tai asked.

                "No," Sara growled,"But any questions will have to wait, as your mother is here."

                "What?" Tai turned around and, indeed, so his mother walking towards them.

                "Come on, Tai, I'll take you into the water!" she grinned.

                "I..." he turned back around, but saw that Sara was gone.

                Tai wasn't able to find her, Sam, or Derwood for the rest of the day, so he had to make do with simply pretending to be his five-year-old counterpart. The good news was that at the end of the day, Sora and Kari went home alone without any boys, which made him happy.

                "Did you have fun today?" his mother asked, as they drove home in the car.

                "I guess," he muttered, watching as the sun started to set. He felt his eyelids start to grow heavy, but he was slightly afraid to sleep. He didn't know where Sara would help him through reality, or not. He finally decided that he had to face what made his enemy his enemy, before he could fight him.

                He glanced to his mother and said a silent good bye, then closed his eyes.


	8. The Trial of Tai Kamiya

Chapter 8: 

                The Trial of Tai Kamiya

                When Tai awoke this time, the first thing he noticed was that there was no sunlight to lit his room; in fact, he didn't appear to be in his room. As he stared forward he saw a row of bars, and he thought that he was in a crib, which meant he was once again a little baby. Upon closer examination, he found that he defiantly was not a baby, in fact, he was his regular age of 16! He was just starting to enjoy being his true self, when a thought entered his mind: if he wasn't in a crib, where was he?

                He sat up and stretched his arms, glancing around. There was only a small bed, sink, and a hole in the ground, which he could wager a guess what it was for. A wave of panic overtook him as he realized that he was in a jail cell. "I'm a criminal?" he asked himself.

                He walked over to the bard up door and glanced out, surprised to see that he was in a darkened hallway, filled with cells, but all were abandoned. "I guess I'm the only one here," he said,"What's going on here?"

                He heard footsteps and saw that Davis, TK and Yolei were walking towards him. "You're awake I see," TK growled,"Sleep well?"

                "Actually," Tai started,"I've been having some weird...."

                "I don't care!" TK shouted.

                "TK," Yolei snapped.

                "We've come to let you know that your trial has been scheduled for five o'clock today," Davis said, doing his best to keep to his anger under control,"Your lawyer will be by shortly."

                "My lawyer...?" Tai asked,"Trial...? What trial?"

                "Don't tell me you've forgotten what you've done!" TK shouted.

                "What are you talking about?"

                TK chuckled slightly,"Fine. Your trial for the murder of my brother!"

                As Tai sat on the bed in his cell, his mind began to race. "I killed Matt?" he asked, glancing at his hands,"What could possibly have driven me to do that?"

                "If you don't know, I think we might be in trouble."

                Tai glanced up and saw a blond haired girl in a red dress standing in front of the bars,"Who are you?"

                "I am Catherine," she said,"and I will be your lawyer."

                Tai smiled slightly as a Gotsumon opened his cell door and Catherine walked inside carrying a breifcase. She sat down in a chair that the Gotsumon guard had brought in. _"I must be in the Digital World,"_ Tai thought,"_This is a Digidestined trial then, but...hmm."_

                "Well," Catherine said, opening her breifcase,"I think we should get started. " As she flipped through the papers she sighed.

                "What is it?" Tai asked.

                "I have to say that you have amassed quite a criminal record. I don't think there will be anything we can do to prove your innocence."

                "What?" Tai asked. How could a lawyer give up so easily?

                "I'm sorry," Catherine shook her head,"We are going to have to plead guilty, It might lighten your sentence, or we could try insanity."

                "Insanity?" Tai asked,"Won't we need a psychiatrist evaluation?"

                Catherine smiled slightly,"I don't think that that is the best course of action. We'll have to try to plead guilty. I have looked over the charges and I'm sorry, but I can't think of any other way out."

                Tai sighed,"If you think that's best."

                "I do," Catherine said, placing the papers back into her breifcase,"I'll see you later today then. Good luck.."

                "Yeah," Tai smiled slightly as Catherine left the cell. He sighed as he heard the bar door clang shut.

                He took a deep breath and was about to lay on the bed, when he heard sniffling behind him. He turned and saw Sora standing in front of his cell, tears forming in her eyes.

                "Sora?"

                "Why did you do it, Tai?" she cried,"Why?"

                "Sora, I..."

                "I thought you were our friend," she cried,"and after what you did to Kari..."

                Tai felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach,"Kari?" he asked,"What did I do to Kari?"

                "You know damn well everything you've done!" Sora sobbed,"Tai, why did you take Matt away from me? Why?"

                Tai was trying to think of something to say, when he said what he assume the Tai of this world might say,"I don't know."

                "Not good enough," Sora sobbed,"You use to be my best friend, now I'll hate you for the rest of my life! I hope you got what you wanted!" She ran off, leaving Tai by himself.

                "What has my other done here?" he asked, lying down on the bed,"He murdered Matt and did something to Kari. What could he have done? Why would he even....wait....wait, what if....what if this is the world that my evil 'double' is from? Maybe not, but..."

                He sighed and glanced at the clock that was hanging on the wall above his bed,"2:30, only a few more hours until blast off."

                He moved his hands to rest underneath his head, when he felt something inside of the pillowcase. He reached inside and pulled out a small journal book hidden inside."What is this?" he asked, flipping though it. As Tai read through the book, he gasped at the pages. 

                "Wormholes in space?" he gasped, reading the notes,"Energy from the sun strengthens reality boundaries, attempted crossing at night. Humans become more in-tuned to the supernatural when they're asleep.....by training your mind, you can blast a hole in reality...."

                Tai dropped the book as he realized what he was reading,"This world does have the guy that stole my world!"

                Tai opened his eyes when he heard the clock chime. "5:00," he muttered,"Go time."

                He spun around and sat up, surprisingly, at the same time as Catherine and the Gotsumon gurads appeared.

                "Try to stay calm," Catherine advised as she and Tai walked down the hall,"If you become too nervous the judge might not think about lightening your sentence." 

                Tai nodded, his head swelling with anxiety as he thought about what he might discover.

                The inside of the court room looked as it would in a normal setting. He saw a courtroom full of Digidestined and Digimon, a small section for the jury on the side, and the judge's booth at the front.

                Catherine lead Tai over to their small table. when he glanced over to the other table, he spied Davis and Yolei seated at the other table. _"Must be the prosecutor,"_ Tai thought,_"I never thought that Davis would do something like that."_

                Tai stood with everyone as the judge entered the room. He was slightly amused as Geni entered the room and sat at the judge's booth. "Prosecution," Geni said,"You may give your opening remarks."

                Davis stood up,"Thank you, your honor. I hope this to be a short trial, as there are sure to be other things we could be doing. It is my intention to prove to the jury that Tai Kamiya, the heinous and terrible Digimon Emperor, murdered Yamato Ishida in cold blood, and that his actions ten years ago directly resulted in his sister's death."

                "_Kari's...dead?" _Tai thought,"_And I did it?" _He became so depressed that he missed Catherine's opening statement, even though it had been interested in seeing how it was going to go considering he was just going to plead guilty anyway.

                Geni cleared his throat as he mentioned to Davis. "You may call your fist witness."

                Davis nodded,"Thank you, your honor. I would like to call Red Veggimon to the stand."

                Tai smiled slightly as a red radish bounced up to the chair next to Geni's booth. "Please state your name and former title, for the court," Davis said.

                "Red Veggimon, Captain of the Dark Guards."

                Davis nodded,"And whom did you serve under?"

                Red Veggimon hesitated, then pointed at Tai,"Taichi Kamiya, the Digimon Emperor."

                "And did you serve him willingly?"

                "No," Red Veggimon shook his head,"He attached a Dark Ring to my arm that made me his slave. He forced me to mercilessly destroy and kill, all in his name."

                "And you were finally freed, by whom?"

                "Yamato Ishida," Red Veggimon sighed,"Right before Kamiya fought and...and killed him."

                There was a slight murmur in the courtroom, but it quickly stopped. "Thank you," Davis nodded, "You may step down."

                After Red Veggimon left, Davis turned to the courtroom,"I now would like to call, Gatomon to the stand."

                _"Gatomon?" _Tai thought, as the courtroom began to talk loudly. Geni slammed his hammer down.

                Davis helped the small cat onto the witness booth. "Now, Gatomon you are the former partner of Hikari Kamiya, correct?"

                Gatomon nodded,"Yes, I was."

                "Could you please explain to the court what happened on October 27, 2000?"

                "Well, it started out on a pretty normal day, but, then Kari, Tai's sister, began to feel really ill, I mean, she had been pretty sick for the past couple of weeks, but, that morning she could hardly open her eyes, and she started throwing up violently. Her parents rushed her to the hospital when she started coughing up blood, but...it was too late to save her. She died a few hours later."

                Davis nodded,"What did the doctors say was the cause?" he asked, softly.

                "An advanced form of pneumonia," Gatomon sniffled,"She had always had a weak immune system, ever since she was little."

                "And what caused her immune system to become weak?" Davis asked.

                "Taichi Kamiya took her outside and made her play soccer with him when she was sick," Gatomon growled,"She ended up in the hospital."

                "The doctors said that Kari probably just caught the flu day, right?"

                Gatomon nodded,"Yes, but because her immune system was weak, it opened the door for pneumonia."

                "Where do you suppose she got that flu?"

                "From _him_ bringing her into the Digital World!" Gatomon screamed, pointing her claw at Tai,"For throwing her into the ice covered pond and getting her soaked! It's his fault!"

                "That will be all, thank you," Davis said,"My next witness will be, Agumon!"

                The murmuring in the crowd grew even louder, as the orange dinosaur climbed into the witness's booth. 

                "Agumon, you are the partner of Taichi Kamiya, are you not?" Davis asked, placing his hands behind his back.

                "Former partner," Agumon clarified.

                "Right," Davis nodded,"could you explain what occurred to Taichi Kamiya after his sister's death?"

                "Well..he became..withdrawn...alone...he would hardly talk or see anyone. He mostly just sat alone in his room, staring at the computer screen. The only one he would talk to was Sora..."

                "But that was before Christmas Eve, correct?"

                "Yes," Agumon sighed,"We were going to see Sora, when Tai found out that she was going to give Matt some homemade cookies that she had made. He was really depressed, but...it wasn't until after Matt's concert was attacked that Matt leapt in the way to save Sora. Tai had figured it out by then, that Matt and Sora were going out."

                "Kamiya lost it after that, didn't he?" Davis asked.

                "Yeah," Agumon sighed,"He couldn't take it anymore, his sister was dead, and now the girl he had a crush on was going out with someone else. It drove him insane. He started entering the Digital World more times then he ever did before. He was doing strange things too, like building black towers and strange rings. He started imprisoning Digimon, calling himself the Digimon Emperor. When I confronted him about this, he placed a dark ring on me too. I was now his slave, like all the others."

                Davis nodded,"Thank you. My next witness is Takeru Takashi."

                The courtroom was dead silent as Matt's younger brother approached the bench. "Mr. Takashi," Davis said,"You were the younger brother of Yamato Ishida, known as Matt, correct?"

                "Yes," Tk nodded.

                "You were part of the team that confronted Tai Kamiya, the Digimon Emperor, on the day of his downfall, correct?"

                "Yes," Tk said,"We had been following his fortress for days before we finally caught up to it. The team included Matt, Sora, myself, as well as many of our friends from around the world. When we finally confronted him, he attacked us with everything he had, but he couldn't defeat us. Matt decided to fight him one on one, and then...Tai killed him, right in front of our eyes, then...then......" Tk trailed off as he struggled to speak.

                "You were then able to capture him, correct?" Davis asked.

                Tk, still unable to speak, simply nodded.

                "Thank you," Davis nodded. After TK had taken his seat, Davis turned to Geni,"The prosecution has no further witnesses."

                "Very well," Geni nodded, turning to Catherine,"The defense may call its first witness."

                Catherine turned to Tai and nodded, then faced Geni and rose. "The defense rests, your honor."

                The courtroom became a madhouse of chatter as everyone began to talk. Geni slammed his hammer down many times before the courtroom was quiet. "Do you mean to say you wish to make a plea?" he asked.

                "We do," Catherine said,"My client pleads guilty to all charges."

                The courtroom once again shouted and screamed before Geni slammed his hammer even harder. "One more outburst and this courtroom will be cleared!" he shouted. 

                He turned to Catherine and Tai,"You truly wish to plead to these charges?"

                "Yes," Catherine nodded, as Tai stood.

                "Very well," Geni said,"Taichi Kamiya, for the crimes you have committed against the Digital World, and the greatest crime of murder, I sentence you to death by lethal injection! Court adjourned!" He slammed his hammer down a final time.

                "Your honor!" Catherine called, but Geni was already gone.

                As the courtroom cheered and screamed, Catherine turned to Tai, a shocked look on her face,"Taichi," she said,"I..I'm sorry, I thought that...."

                Tai nodded, somberly,"T..tell me," he said,"When will my...sentence be carried out?"

                "I...I don't know," she sighed,"a few hours, I guess."

                _"I've got to fall asleep before then," _he thought,"_Or I'm going to die for something I've never even done!"_

                Tai kept his eyes focused on the ceiling, hoping sleep would come, but it didn't. His heart was racing too fast, and his stomach felt as though it was going to through up.

                "Having a rough, day, huh?"

                Tai turned his head and saw a fourteen-year-old Sara standing in front of the bars of his cell. "Sara!" he called, in a sigh of relif,"Can you help me? I can't fall asleep..."

                "Do you know what the Digital World will do for a lethal injection?" Sara asked.

                Tai shook his head.

                "They'll use anesthesia, an overdose, but...."

                "Like when you need an operation?" he asked, smiling,"I'll fall asleep at first before it kills me, right? And if I'm asleep,, then I'll move worlds, right?"

                "Yes," Sara nodded,"But...when you fall asleep, another 'Tai' will enter this world."

                Tai's smile faded,"Wait, you mean that, when I leave, another Tai will enter..and die, in this world's Tai's place."

                "Yes," Sara sighed.

                "Is there any way to avoid that?" he asked,"Like put this Tai back...?"

                "If it were that simple, we would have done it already."

                "We?" he asked.

                Sara sighed,"Sam and I."

                "Who are you?" he asked.

                "All will be revealed soon," she said.

                "When?" he asked,"When I'm dead?"

                "You're going to move worlds, remember?"

                "I'm not going to let anyone die," he said,"I'll stay here the whole time if I have to."

                Sara shook her head,"You can't. You have to return to your original world to stop the evil Tai. Besides, you won't have a choice. Reality won't allow it."

                "Then I'll defy it!"

                Sara hesitated for a long time, then reached inside her pocket and threw out a small red pill.

                "Take that," she said,"Right before they lead you to the execution room. It will increase your consciousness awareness, enabling you to leave this world right before that body dies. And if that body is dead, then no more Tai's may enter this world."

                Tai glanced at the pill,"Alright, cool."

                "However," Sara said,"If you manage to make it back to your own world, you will not have a body, as this Tai will not be able to leave your body."

                "What?"

                "My original plan was to repair time and space by simply having you return to your own world. There cannot be two Tai's of the same age and gender in the same world at the same time, so by simply having you return to your world, would erase whatever _this_ Tai is doing to stay there, returning him here, and you there. Now, he won't be able to come back here, and he won't change, period. He'll still have your body."

                "So what am I suppose to do?" he asked.

                "Take the pill," Sara ordered,"I'll take care of the rest." She started walked away.

                "Wait!" Tai called.

                "I'll see you in the next world!" she shouted back.

                "Perfect," Tai sighed as Sara left. He sat back down on the bed and stared at the red pill until he heard Davis and the Gotsumon guards coming from down the hall.

                "Go time," he sighed, popping the pill in his mouth and swallowing.

                "Kamiya," Davis said, as the Gotsumon opened the cell door,"Let's go."

                Tai was still completely nervous as the Gotsumons lead him down to the other end of the hall, which he was surprised to see was simply an room with a table. Jyou was standing there with a syringe in his hand. He didn't say anything as Tai was order to lay on the table and strapped down.

                "Do you have anything you want to say?" Davis asked.

                "I'm sorry for everything," he said, truly meaning it. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he wanted to be prepared.

                Davis nodded,"I'm sorry it had to come to this. Dr. Kido..."

                Jou sighed, finding a place on Tai's arms. Tai took a deep breath as he felt the needle enter his skin. 

                Almost instantly, his eyes began to drop, despite how hard he forced them open. The world began to go blurry, as his body felt extremely heavy. He found that it was hard to breath, and noticed that he had lost all feeling in his hands and feet. That empty feeling passed up his body until finally reaching his chest, when he felt his lungs actually stop, before his eyes closed shut.

                Tai now found himself in floating above his body, glancing down. He was worried for a second that he really had died, before he noticed a glowing...rip...in the area above him. He knew that this was the tear in reality, and so made its way towards it, hoping that it would lead to home.


	9. Reality Police

                Chapter 9:

                Reality Police

                Tai took a deep breath as he shot his eyes open,"I..I'm alive!" he called out, rubbing his eyes with his hands,"I never thought I'd be so happy to wake up in my room," he frown as he glanced around,"Even though it isn't _my_ room."

                He felt a strange feeling in his stomach as he studied the room around him. He sighed as it was covered with white and pink, white fluffly curtains, a pink dresser next to the wall, even the bed covers were white. He took a deep breath and threw the covers off, sure enough, he was wearing a pair of pink pajamas with flowers on them. "Yup," he said,"I'm a girl again, although...I do look smaller...Hmm."

                He jumped out of the bed and walked over to the mirror on the hope chest. He was a, without a doubt, a girl, but a ten-year-old girl, one whose neck length black hair desperately needed to be combed.

                He sighed, glancing over to the pink robe hanging on the back of the door. He shrugged, throwing it over his small frame, then opened the door.

                It wasn't his apartment, well, he figured it was, but everything look so different, almost like his family suddenly became aristocrats! He glanced down the hall to the kitchen. His stomach growled, and he blushed slightly. "I guess this Tai must not have eaten last night." He shrugged, then walked into the darkened kitchen. "Why are the lights off?" he asked.

                Suddenly, the lights blasted on and his parents and Kari jumped out of the the hallway,"Happy Birthday!" they shouted.

                "B..birthday?" Tai asked, as a sixteen-year-old Kari grabbed his hands and threw him into one of the chairs around the table.

                "Of course!" his mother smiled,"You were born ten years ago today."

                "And I finally got a little sister!" Kari grinned.

                "R..right," Tai nodded,"I must have been so excited."

                "I understand," his father said, smiling from ear to ear,"It's a very exciting time. Ha."

                "Tai," Kari said,"I'm going to take you into town to buy you the best birthday dress before we go out to dinner tonight."

                "W..what?" Tai asked. 

                "Sure!" Kari laughed,"Older sister love to go shopping with their younger sisters!"

                _"I'll keep that in mind,"_ he though, waiting as his mother started making breakfast.

                Tai growled in disgusted as he saw the array of clothes that were hanging on the hangers in the closet. He was relieved to see that while this Tai appeared to be very feminine, she had a fair choice of pants, and shorts. Tai noticed that it was summer by the date on the calender in his room, so he choose a pair of jeans shorts and a tank top. He sighed as he looked in the mirror. He started brushing his hair until it was straight, knowing that Kari probably wanted him to look nice.

                "Tai, are you ready?"

                "Coming!" Tai called, grabbing a purse from off the side of the closet door and walking outside his room. He saw that Kari was wearing a short white skirt and blue t-shirt. He didn't notice it before, but her hair was pink! She could be an exact ringer for Mimi when she was sixteen. _"This probably isn't going to be good!"_ he thought, following his sister out the door.

                Tai let out a deep breath as he slunk into his seat in the food court of the mall. _"Well, I was right!"_ he thought. As soon as Kari entered the mall, she literally turned into a Mimi-clone. She dragged Tai from clothing store to clothing store, having her 'little sister' try on dress after dress after dress. Tai finally got her to stop when he agreed on a pink short sleeve dress with the skirt ending at the knees. Afterwards, Kari dragged him to the food court, which was good, because he was starving. They didn't have much time though, and they could only eat something small because they would be leaving for dinner in a few short hours.

                As Tai started to munch on his hot dog, he noticed a group of mall security guards staring at he and Kari from the other side of the food court. He silently watched them before he realized who the head guard was, Derwood. He quickly looked around, but couldn't find Sara or Sam anywhere, which got him to thinking: he had seen Sara and Sam together many times, but Derwood was always alone or with a group of boys. Why wouldn't tell appear together, unless they weren't together, but both separate. Did this mean that one group wants to help him, and the other wants to hurt him? If Derwood and Sara were opposing each other, why? And what did it have to do with him?

                "Aren't you done yet?" Kari said, looking at her watch,"We've really got to go. Mom and Dad are probably getting ready right now."

                "Alright," Tai said, shoving down the last of his hot dog as he got up. It wasn't so much that he wanted to go out for a little girl's birthday party, he just wanted to get away from the stares of Derwood and his group, which were sending shivers up his spine.

                Tai's face displayed a disgusted look as his mother adjusted the bow which held his long hair firmly in a ponytail. "Oh stop it!" his mother said,"You look like an adorably little girl."

                _"That's the problem!"_ he thought, staring at his reflection. In adition to the dress he had bought earlier, his mother insisted on him wearing a pair of pink stockings, the pink hair bow, and a pink bracelet. As he studied his reflection, he wondered if Mimi looked like this when she was little.

                "Alright, let's get going!" Kari shouted, running into the room. She was wearing a low-cut brown dress, that he was sure he had seen on Mimi before. 

                "Kari!" her mother shouted, "Put a sweater on, or take it off!"

                "Alright," she said, running back to her room.

                "Come guys," his father shouted as he ran past them and to the door,"Our reservation will expire in a half-an-hour, so we've got to hurry and catch the next train."

                "I'm coming," Tai said, forcing a smile as he pulled on a white pair of platform shoes near the door. "Happy birthday to me," he muttered silently as he exited the apartment. He was not aware that Derwood and the others were watching him from down the hall.

                As the group was walking towards the subway station, Tai kept pushing down his skirt, as he was very uncomfortable with the thought that his underwear was available for a free viewing to any pervert that might be walking by. 

                He tried to forget this as he kept walking. He knew that an 'evil' Tai that had murdered Matt had stolen his life and sent him on this trip through time and space, and he still had no idea of how to get home. He didn't want to really think it, but the thought that he might spend forever jumping between worlds was at the back of his mind. But Sara knew what was going on, why wouldn't she tell him?

                Tai suddenly became aware that his family was no longer with him. "Mom?" he asked, turning around on the abandoned street,"Dad? Kari?" But there was no answer.

                "That's odd, I wonder where they went?" he said, stretching his head under his brown hair.

                "They're looking for you, but luckily you wandered off while you were in thought."

                Tai jumped slightly as Derwood walked towards him with a redheaded boy following,"D..Derwood, right?" Tai asked.

                "Yes, Taichi Kamiya, you are under arrest..."

                "What?" he asked.

                Derwood cleared his throat,"I am the Captain of the Time and Space Monitors, and we have come to take you into custody."

                "What? What did I do?" Tai asked, slowly backing up into an alley.

                "Your continued traveling across time has affected all possible time streams. Reality will crumble if you are not taken care of."

                Tai felt his heart start to race. He didn't know why, but something told him to run, still, he knew he would never get away, Derwood and his cohorts were huge, and he was trapped in a little girl's body...wait, that's it!  

                Tai spied two older men a little way down the sidewalk. Tai took a deep breath and screamed,"Help! Help!"

                His plan worked. The two older men started running towards them, probably thinking a rape was about to occur. This gave Tai the chance to run in the other direction. Derwood flew after him, while two of his henchmen stayed behind to hold off the two men.

                Tai ran as fast as he could, his skirt whipping against his thighs; he nearly tripped twice on the shoes he was wearing, but he kept running until he just couldn't run anymore.

                He stooped and leaned over slightly, breathing heavily. He was going to have to rest for a second, so he decided to hide behind a dumpster in a nearby alley. He twirled his head around to make sure Derwood didn't see him dive into the alley. Unfortunately, this left his view of the alley itself non-existence so he didn't see one of Derwood's group jump out and slam his head with a wooden club. Tai fell to the ground, unconscious.

                When Tai awoke he found himself in an area of darkness. He knew right away he was trapped inside of a small cage of some kind, in what looked like an abandoned warehouse. His face and arms was smudged with dirt, he had a tear in his dress near his stomach and on his stockings. "What happened to me?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

                "You were resisting arrest, so we needed to use extreme force."

                Tai saw that Derwood was standing in front of his cage, his arms cross and grinning. "I must say, you've lead us on quite a chase across worlds."

                Tai adjusted so that he was sitting crossed legged on the floor. "Who are you?"

                "As I told you, I am the Captain of the Time and Space Police. We monitor and apprehend criminals who violate reality."

                "But I don't have any choice!" Tai protested,"Another Tai stole my life."

                "Whether that is true or not is not the case," Derwood said,"That Tai remains stationary in whichever world you come from, but you are the one that is traveling from world to world, ripping the holes in reality ever wider. Had you died in the previous world, all this could have been avoided, but seeing as how your didn't, you must now be taken care of. Once you are removed, the holes were repair themselves."

                "No..you can't!" Tai shouted,"What about the Tai of this world. What's going to happen to her?"

                "Once we kill you, she'll return to her own body, which will beat with life again as it's 'true' host is back, but that point is really moot as you're going to have a few more days, in which case you'll keep changing forms...securly trapped in that cage, that is.""

                "But, Sara gave me that pill in the last world..."

                "Sara?" Derwood asked, raising his eyebrow,"Who's Sara?"

                "You don't know?!" Tai asked, completely shocked. What was going on here?

                "No, I don't, and I don't really care," he said, walking over to the cage,"You're going to pay for punching me in the gut in that one world. I had to change myself to become a young teenager, so that really hurt."

                Derwood quickly slammed his fist into Tai's face, sending him falling over backwards. "Now we're even!" he laughed walking out of the doors in the room.

                Tai sat back up, sobbing. He wasn't even in control, the body was reacting on instinct. He figured that the Tai of this world was not use to getting slammed in the cheek, then again, being a little girl, she probably never was.

                Tai laid down on the cold floor, the frost nipping against his skin and ripping right through his stockings. He knew that the guard outside of his cell had a clear view of his underwear, but it didn't really care. He slowly drifted to sleep.

                When he awoke he found that he was still inside of the cage, but he was once again male. Judging by the suit he was now wearing, he figured that he must in the adult age range, at least thirty.

                "You're awake, huh?" Derwood asked, entering the room,"I thought you would be asleep for a while longer."

                Tai glared at him. "Why?"

                "In order to repair reality, we're moving you through all of your 'other' forms in as many different reality as we can. Once we've determined that the holes in reality have healed sufficiently, then we'll carry out the sentence. Get comfortable, you're going to be here for a while."

                Tai was going to call after him, but he sound found himself asleep again.

                When Tai awoke this time, he noticed that everything seemed very out of proportion, he was much smaller then he should have been, and his body felt very different, so different in fact, that he had feathers! He had wings, which he was surprised that he could form into arms and hands. 

                Derwood had set up a mirror in case Tai wanted to view each form he changed into, so he was surprised to find that he now looked like a chocolate version of Biyomon.

                _"Must have been Sora's partner," _he thought, falling asleep again.

                Tai had no idea how long he had been trapped inside of that cage, every few seconds he fell asleep again, so he had no way of knowing how many days it had been. And every time he awoke, his body changed. So far his ages had ranged from toddler to old age, and his genders switched a couple of times. While trapped in that cage he had been a seven-year-old girl, a fourteen-year-old, a baby girl, and now he was wearing a hospital gown with a bloated stomach, that he figured must mean he was pregnant.

                He laid back down, waiting to fall asleep, but instead Derwood entered. "A pregnant woman, I see," he laughed,"Maybe I should pull a few strings to have you remain this way until you give birth."

                "What do you want?" Tai shouted.

                "I've come to let you know that the gap in reality is almost healed. Just one more should do it. Enjoy this next sleep, it's the last one you'll ever have." 

                Tai growled as Derwood left, then laid down on the floor, happy he'll never have to face giving birth.

                When Tai awoke for the finally time, he noticed the everything was extremely large, even if he was a Digimon. He went to sit up, but found that, surprisingly, his hands and feet pushed him upward. His body felt out of proportion too, and there was a strange weight behind him. He turned and glanced in the mirror and almost fainted. He was a little cat!

                Tai found this very weird, as he had never been an animal yet. He was moving towards the cage door to get a better look at the mirror, when he noticed something. He was small enough to slide through the bars! He didn't wait a second longer, and pushed himself through.

                The man that was guarding his cell saw him escape and tried to chase after him, but Tai was already out the window and down the fire escape. Luckily, someone had left the latter down, so he carefully climbed down and charged away from the abandoned warehouse.

                As he ran down the sidewalk, he heard Derwood and his group chasing after him. Tai ran even faster then he thought cats could, across crosswalks and down sidewalk, even over fences. He decided he should try to get to the Kamiya apartment in this world, hopefully, Derwood wouldn't try anything with his family around.

                As he made his way down one of the sidewalk, he past a bench across from his apartment building. He was wondering how he was going to get inside, when he noticed the person sitting on the bench. It was Kari.

                Tai sat down patiently at Kari's feet, but she was reading a book, so she didn't notice him.

                _"Come on, Kari,"_ he thought,"_Look down and pick me up. Derwood's coming, Kari!"_

                He didn't realize it, but he had meowed, which caused Kari to look down. "Oh!" she grinned,"A little kitty cat."

                She reached down and started feeling around Tai's neck. "No collar, I guess that means you're coming home with me." She reached down and lifted him up.

                She quickly ran across the street and entered the apartment building. Tai purred to express his joy as the doors closed just as Derwood had reached the bench where Kari had been sitting a few minutes ago.

                "Mom, Dad! I'm home!" Kari called, walking into the apartment,"and I've got a visitor."

                Her parents walked out of their bedroom to the hall and gasped. "Kari," her father said,"You can't bring stray pets into this house."

                "I'm sorry," Kari said,"But he looks so much like Miko did. Come on, there's no collar, can I keep him?"

                "We'll call and see if anyone is missing a cat," Mrs. Kamiya said,"if not....we'll see."

                "Good enough!" Kari laughed, running into her room, and nearly knocking someone else over.

                "Jeeze Kari!" the other person said,"What are you so excited about?"

                Tai felt his small cat heart beat faster and faster. The person standing in front of he and Kari was....him, another Tai.

                When this Tai looked at the cat Tai, he gasped. "What's wrong Tai?" Kari asked.

                That Tai shook his head and pointed at the cat Tai,"N-nothing, sorry. So, what's his name?"

                "I'm going to call him, Miko Jr." Kari nodded,"But, I might not be able to keep him."

                "Well, here," Tai said, walking over to his desk and pulling out a small black strip,"We can use this as a collar, we've just got to write the identification on it."

                "Great idea!" Kari grinned as Tai attached the strap around cat Tai's neck,"I'll get a pen." She put cat Tai onto the bed and ran out of the room.

                Once she was gone, Tai turned to cat Tai,"Listen! I know who you are, Tai. You're the true Tai from this world, aren't you?"

                Cat Tai was shocked, he couldn't even meow. He was finally home, but, this was the impostor that stole his life!

                "Well, listen up!" Tai shouted,"This is my world now, understand? You can't do anything about it!"

                This time, Cat Tai hissed.

                "Get angry all you want," Tai laughed,"that collar around your neck is a small prototype of my Dark Rings. It can't control you, unfortunately, but it can do something else, it will prevent you from changing." He grinned,"That's right, no matter how many time you fall asleep, you'll be trapped as that cat, forever!"


	10. My enemy, myself

Chapter 10:

                My enemy, myself

                Cat Tai slowly opened his eyes and glanced around. He was still in the cat bed, still as a cat. He would have sighed if he could, but it came out as a slightly meow. He stood up and stretched his back, still feeling weird.

                He peeked his head out of Kari's room and glanced down the hallway. He couldn't see his evil double, so he moved over to his food dish. He hadn't really eaten anything lately, but he was so hungry now that he had to swallow his pride, and ate the cat food. He understood finally why Miko always wanted to eat at the table, his neck was killing him reaching for the food bowl, not to mention that it smelled horrible.

                Cat Tai's ears shot up when he heard the front door open. He quickly scampered and hide behind the refrigerator. He peeked around and saw Kari walk in with the evil Tai that had stolen his life.

                "You were great today," Kari said, dropping her book bag near the table,"I don't think anyone could have kept up with you."

                "Hey," the fake Tai said, balancing a ball on his foot as he hopped in on the other,"What can I say? I am the man!"

                "Ha!" Kari laughed, grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator,"You're going to give me a ride later, right?"

                "Yeah," fake Tai said, following her to the couch,"I wouldn't want to be accused of not helping my little sister on her first date."

                Cat Tai who was slowly making his way towards the back of the coach, suddenly stopped. _"Kari's first date? I'm going to miss it! That is _my_ little sister! The fake lost his!_" Cat Tai slowly made his way to the side of the couch where fake Tai was sitting. He leaned back on his back legs, then leapt over the couch arm.

                "Ahh!" fake Tai said. Cat Tai leapt onto his arms and slashed his claws across.

                Fake Tai flung Cat Tai aside. "You little..." he screamed. Cat Tai quickly leapt onto Kari's lap, his sister would protect him.

                "Miko Jr.!" Kari shouted, looking down at the brown cat on her lap,"You're not suppose to attack Tai!"

                Cat Tai laid down and use his back leg to scratch around the black collar. "Miko, I'm sorry," Kari said,"But Tai says that you need that flea collar on." She smiled slightly and looked at fake Tai,"Maybe that's why he doesn't like you."

                Fake Tai just got up from the coach to dress the bleeding scratching on his arms.

                "Come on," Kari said, lifting Cat Tai up and bringing him into her room. She put him on her bed,"You can't attack my brother, or my parent's aren't going to let me keep you."

                Cat Tai turned his head away and laid down, still mentioning to the black collar. "I'm sorry, Miko," Kari said, compassion in her eyes,"but you've got to keep it on."

                Cat Tai woke up when he heard a loud noise sound through the room. He looked over and saw Kari, barely dressed, holding a pink dress in front of her. "I'm sorry, Miko," she said,"I didn't mean to wake you."

                Cat Tai quickly turned his head away, not wanting to see his sister in only her underwear. He turned back when Kari was fully wearing the pink dress. Cat Tai jumped slightly when the door opened and Fake Tai appeared. "He's here."

                Kari exited the room, followed by Cat Tai, who almost choked up a hairball when he saw that Davis was standing in the doorway, wearing a three piece suit. Cat Tai was completely shocked, he had never seen Davis in a suit before.

                Cat Tai heard stomping, and he dove under the couch in time to watch Fake Tai walk past with the car keys. Although he didn't want that impostor driving his little sister anywhere, it did give him time to check his desk drawers, maybe there was way to get the collar off. He waited until Fake Tai had left with Kari and Davis before he trotted into his room.

                He hoped onto the bed, then onto the desk. He crouched down as much as he could then reached his paw out and tried to slid open the top drawer. It was no use, it was locked. Cat Tai tried to think of a way inside, but there was no way he could do it, but someone else could.

                He jumped back onto the floor and walked into Kari's room and jumped onto her desk. Luckily Kari had a pad of paper laid out on top, and it was a simple matter to knock over the pencil jar and grab one with his teeth. He started jerking his head back and forth before he was able to draw the words "Kari...help...real...Tai...cat..." He had no idea how long he had been doing it, but he soon heard Fake Tai calling out that he was home.

                Cat Tai was going to jump down and hide, but Fake Tai peeked inside of Kari's room and saw him. He launched over and grabbed him by the stomach, squeezing tightly. He looked at what had been written, then threw it into the trash. "I can't believe you!" he sneered,"I gave you a chance, you could have lived peacefully as Kari's pet for the rest of your short life, but you had to fight back. Well, now you're going to die!"

                Suddenly the front door opened and they both heard Sora cry out. "Hello, Tai!"

                Fake Tai flung Cat Tai onto the floor and ran into the living room. "Hi, Sora."

                "Tai!" she cheered, kissing him. Cat Tai was so angry that his fur was standing up on its end. He stared out the crack between Kari's door and the wall. Fake Tai and Sora walked over to the couch and sat down. Cat Tai quietly stalked to the back of the couch and waited. He was going to try to get the collar off with Sora's help.

                He waited until Fake Tai had gone to the bathroom, before he made his move. He trotted around and jumped onto the couch right next to Sora. She jumped slightly, but smiled when she saw him. "Why hello," she grinned as Cat Tai climbed onto her lap,"Who are you?"

                Cat Tai sat down and started purring. It was involuntary, his cat body just started doing it, but it felt so good. He almost didn't want it to stop, but he knew he had a mission to accomplish. He started scratching at the collar around his neck with his back legs.

                "Oh, is that too tight? Well, I think we should keep it on."

                Cat Tai was going to scratch harder, but unfortunately, Fake Tai returned from the bathroom at that time. He growled at Cat Tai, who decided it was better to hide then face him. He jumped off of Sora's lap and charged into Kari's bedroom. He jumped up and hid himself under the covers. If he was able to, he would have cried himself to sleep.

                He jumped awake with a start when he heard a loud bang throughout the apartment. He quickly jumped off of the bed and was going to run outside, when he noticed that the house was not on fire as he originally thought. His parents and Kari still weren't home yet, but Sora wasn't either. He quietly walked over to his own room and peeked inside. Fake Tai had a sodering iron and was using it on what appeared to be a computer mother board. "Soon," he muttered,"Soon I'll be master of all realities!" 

                Cat Tai heard the front door open and he quickly ran back into Kari's room and dove under the covers.

                He awoke the next morning with Kari forcefully kicking him. He peeked his head out from under the covers and saw that Kari was slowly sitting up. She looked down at him and smiled,"Good morning, Miko."

                Cat Tai quickly jumped off of the bed and ran over to the garbage can. He jumped up and pulled it over, knocking the contents onto the floor.

                "Miko!" Kari said, shocked. She walked over to pick up her trash, when she noticed what Cat Tai had written the night before. She glanced at Cat Tai, her eyes open as far as they could possibly open. She then smiled, shaking her head. "No, that's impossible..." She just hummed to herself and tossed the paper back into the garbage. Cat Tai wasn't going to give up, he had to convince her.

                While Kari exited the room to use the bathroom, Cat Tai jumped back onto the desk and grabbed a pencil with his teeth. He started jerking his head again, writing the same message as before. This time when Kari saw it, she fell onto the ground, backing away from Cat Tai.

                "No...this is impossible.....I can't be.....you can't....."

                Cat Tai wrote again of the paper,"Yes I am."

                "B...But if you're Tai, then who is...."

                "He is a Tai from another world."

                Kari and Cat Tai twirled around and saw a little blond girl and an older brown haired girl standing in the doorway. "Who are you?" Kari demanded,"What are you doing in my apartment?"

                Cat Tai quickly charge in front of the two girls, standing firmly. "Miko...er, I mean...ah..."

                The bond girl nodded. "That cat is your brother, Tai. The Tai that has been living with you for the past few weeks is an impostor, a very dangerous criminal from a world in which you are dead, and he has become a vicious criminal."

                "Who are you?" Kari demanded.

                The blond girl bowed,"I am Sara, this is Sam. We have been helping the Tai from this world."

                Kari glanced down to Cat Tai, who nodded as best he could. "So....that really is my brother?"

                Sara nodded.

                "Oh Tai," Kari said, lifting him him,"What's going on here?"

                Sara and Sam quickly jumped inside of Kari's room as Fake Tai entered with what appeared to be a Zapper gun from an old Nintendo system. This Zapper however was connected to a computer board on Fake Tai's wrist. "I see that I've been discovered."

                "What are you doing here?" Kari asked, squeezing Cat Tai tightly in her arms.

                "I came to this world after it became apparent that I was going to be executed for my crimes," he explained,"Back in my own world, I was the Digimon Emperor, not Ken Ichijoji as in this world. The Digidestined had captured me, but I couldn't be held prisoner, I had too much work to do."

                "Breaking through time and space?" Sara asked.

                "That's right, little brat," Fake Tai said, holding the gun firming pointing at the group of girls and one cat,"Doing research I discovered how I could break through reality. I escaped to this world, remaining here with this device." He opened his shirt to reveal a dark ring around his shoulder,"This keeps me from changing forms when I fall asleep, much like the one on the cat's neck."

                Kari looked at the cat in her arms. "Oh Tai, I'm so sorry..."

                "But, I must bid you all ado," Fake Tai said, pointing the gun at Kari's closet. He pulled the trigger and a black vortex appeared directly in front of the doors to the closet..

                "Where are you going?" Sam asked.

                "To the reality with ultimate power!" he laughed,"The reality where I will become master of all time and space. Farewell!" He dove through the vortex, which disappeared shortly after.

                "He's gone!" Kari shouted,"That....that impostor fooled all of us, and now he's going to win."

                "No he isn't," Sara said, reaching into her pockets,"We can follow him anywhere, except where he can't go."

                "What do you mean by that?" Kari asked, placing Tai on the ground.

                "I bet the impostor Tai is going to have to go through each world before he gets to the reality he's looking for," Sara said, sitting on Kari's bed,"but Tai's capture by the reality police has closed all realities except for the ones that Tai has already visited." She turned to Cat Tai,"When you were in Derwood's custody, he sent you through all your other forms except the forms you were already in, correct?"

                Cat Tai nodded.

                "Then impostor Tai has to go through each world until he gets to the one he's looking for," Sam nodded,"and we've got to close each of those realites off."

                Sara turned to Cat Tai,"You're mission isn't done yet. You've still got to capture the evil Tai. We can leave when you're ready."

                "When _we're_ ready," Kari said,"I'm coming too."

                Sara grinned,"I was hoping you'd say that. Just be warned, Kari Kamiya, when you travel through worlds, you're body will also change."

                "I can take it," Kari said,"I just want to stop that impostor before he hurts anyone else."

                Cat Tai rubbed against Kari's legs, purring. _"We're coming after you, 'brother',"_ Cat Tai thought,"_and you're not getting away!"_


	11. Sisterhood

Chapter 11:

                Sisterhood

                Tai opened his eyes and was surprised to see that he was in the room of his ten-year-old female counterpart. Same bedspread, same pajamas, same room. He jumped out of the bed and walked over to the calender on the wall. He smiled slightly when he saw that it was the day after his birthday party, the day after he had been there earlier.

                He pulled on the pink robe again and walked outside, only to be greeted by his older pink-haired sister Kari. She started down at Tai, a smile slowly forming on her lips. "Tai," she said,"You're...you're younger then me..._and_ a girl?"

                Tai frowned,"Yeah, but you can't let on like anything's different. We've got to pretend to be this Tai and Kari until we can leave."

                Kari nodded,"Right, but did you see the closet that I have in this world? It's filled with all sorts of stuff that Mimi would wear!"

                The two sisters walked into the kitchen, where they prepared a small breakfast for themselves. They sat down and started to eat. "So, what do you suggest we do?" Kari asked.

                Tai shrugged. "I guess we're just going to have to wait until Sara contacts us."

                "Will she?" Kari asked.

                Tai nodded. "But I guess she appears whenever she feels like it, so we're just going to have to wait until she does."

                "What, you think I'm selfish?"

                Tai and Kari turned to see a 10-year-old Sara and a 16-year-old Sam walk into the kitchen. Both were dressed in robes over their pajamas. "What are you guys doing here?" Tai asked.

                "Tai!" her mother said, walking in with her husband,"You don't remember your cousins?"

                "I told you we could alter reality," Sara whispered into Tai's ears. He wanted to ask Sara more, but his 'parents' were now there, so he had to wait until after breakfast.

                The meal was fairly normal, they talked about normal things that a normal family would talk about. It was the conversation afterwards in Tai's bedroom that was anything but normal.

                Tai sat on her bed, her hands on her lap,"What is our first move?"

                "We've got to find the rip in this reality," Sara said, sitting in a chair across from Tai.

                "How?" Kari asked.

                Sam reached inside her pocket and pulled out a device similar to a digivice. "This will help us locate the rip. It's only a matter of following this thing's signal."

                Tai looked at her,"How long will that take?"

                Sam shrugged. She pressed a button on the side, and the device's screen lit up. "I'm getting a positive reading for the area, but I won't be able to pinpoint an exact location."

                Sara nodded,"And we'll need to find that rip before tonight."

                "Why's that?" Kari asked.

                "Because we'll change worlds, right?" Tai asked.

                Sara nodded. "You're finally getting the hang of this."

                Kari shrugged. "I guess we should get started then."

                There was a knock on the door. "Tai? Kari?"

                "Yeah Mom," Tai called.

                The door open, and Mrs. Kamyia peeked inside,"Don't forget about ballet practice tonight at 5.""

                Tai flinched slightly. Her mother turned to Kari,"And you have cheerleading practice."                                       

                "O..Okay Mom," Kari said. After their mother left, Kari turned to Tai,"I thought it was summer."

                "So did I."

                "It is," Sam said,"But according to the information we have on this world, the school has been have school-related activities in the summer."

                "Great!" Tai sighed, falling back onto the bed with her hands over her face,"I've got to go to ballet practice!"

                "Let's just concentrate on finding that reality rip," Sara said,"Sam and I are going to get dressed."

                "I'll do the same," Kari sighed,"Although I'm sure I'm not really going to like the clothes I have to choose from."

                "You can't complain!" Tai pointed to the closet full of dresses and skirts.

                Kari smiled slightly,"Sorry, forgot."

                Once Kari had left, Tai removed her pajamas and pulled on a pair of jeans shorts and stripped t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, like she had seen Mimi do so many times before. She stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror, then sighed. 

                She walked out of her room and into the living room, where Sam and Sara were seated on the couch. A second later Kari came out of her room, wearing a brown cowboy dress, complete with a large pink hat. "Don't say anything!" Kari warned as Tai's face turned into a smile,"It was the only thing that covered everything!"

                "Are we ready to leave?" Sara asked. Tai and Kari nodded. "Good, lead the way Sam."

                The group followed the singal from Sam's device down the sidewalk of town. "It feels like we've been walking all day!" Kari sighed, sitting down on a park bench.

                Tai glanced at her watch,"That's because we have! Man, I didn't realize how tired I was until now." She walked over and sat down next to her sister. "Are we going to have to do this every time?" She glanced over at Sara and Sam, only to find that they were staring at the roof of the building across the street. "What?"

                The two girls suddenly dove at Kari and Tai, pulling them behind the bench. "What are you doing?" Kari shouted.

                "Be quiet!" Sara hissed.

                "Look at the building's roof, across the street."

                Tai and Kari turned their heads to the building and gasped. "It's the Digimon Emperor Tai!"

                The four girls kept their gaze on the Evil Tai on the roof. He had the gun strapped to his back, and kept glancing at a device in his hands. He seemed to be angry about something, well, angrier then normal. He took one last look, then walked into the stairwell.

                "What was he doing up there?" Kari asked.

                "It looked like he was...looking for something,"Tai said.

                "I think we should leave before he finds us," Sam said,"We're not ready to face him yet."

                The four girls started running down the street as fast as they could. Tai turned to Sara. "So, tell me, why is my double, still in his 'true' form?"

                "Because he physically jumped through the rip in the last world, remember? Besides, he had that dark ring around his shoulder." Sara asked,"You fell asleep in your cat body, and so your spirit moved."

                "Something else has been bothering me..."

                "What?"

                "If we close the rip in reality here, how are we going to change worlds?"

                Sara thought for a second. "Okay, there are two rips in these worlds, like one entrance, and one exit, only each one is two-ways."

                Tai was confused."What?"

                "Okay, to get to this world, you came through the entrance rip, right?"

                Tai nodded.

                "Okay, but, you close the 'exit' rip with the device. When you fall asleep, you can see enter the next world through the 'entrance' rip, got it?"

                Tai nodded. "How do you know so much about all of this?"

                Sara hesitated,"You're not ready for that information."

                "And when will I be ready?" Tai asked,"You've been here since the first time I changed worlds, and you haven't told me anything!"

                "I will!" Sara snapped,"But you don't know what's really going on. You're not ready yet. You need more experience before....you do what you have to do."

                "What does that mean?" she demanded.

                Sam and Kari, who were in front of the two younger girls, suddenly stopped short, causing Tai and Sara to slam into them. "What did you stop for?" Tai asked.

                "Sara," Sam said,"You'd better see this."

                Sara stood up and walked around Sam. "Derwood!" she shouted.

                "Derwood's here?" Tai asked, running around from behind Kari. Sure enough, the Captian of the Reality Police was standing in front of them, wearing a police uniform. 

                "I've found you, Tai Kamiya, but I see you've got allies." He turned to Kari,"Hikari Kamiya, Tai's sister in 95% of all worlds." He turned to Sara and Sam,"And you two. When Tai asked me about a Sara, I had no idea he was talking about you, but, if you want to be called 'Sara', and 'Sam', then fine."

                Tai turned to them. "Those are even your real names?"

                Sam threw her device into Kari's hands. "Run!"

                Tai and Kari turned and started to run, but soon found that Sam and Sara weren't with them. They looked over their shoulders and saw Sara and Sam leading Derwood in the other direction. "Where are they going?" Kari asked.

                "I don't know," Tai said,"But, Derwood wants me, why would he go after Sara and Sam?"

                "Maybe he wanted them more?" Kari suggested.

                "If Derwood ran after them, that means that they must be even greater 'criminals' then I am. Who are they?"

                "I don't know," Kari sighed, then looked at the watch on Tai's wrist,"It's getting close to five. We'd better head home."

                Tai shivered,"Perfect. I can't wait for ballet practice."

                Tai tried her best to keep up with the rest of the girls as they jumped and twisted across the stage. She had never done ballet before, and frankly the tights and leotards she was wearing were so itchy that she had to forcefully keep herself from scratching.

                The ballet teacher blew her whistle and the girls instantly stopped. It caught Tai in mid leap, so she landed hard on the ground. "Take a five minute break!" the teacher shouted.

                Tai took a deep breath, then walked over to where her gym bag was. She heard her cell phone ringing, and quickly answered before the other end hung up. "Hello?"

                "Tai!" 

                "Kari?"

                "Tai, listen, you'd better get over to the high school as soon as you can. The Evil Tai is here!"

                "What?" Tai shouted, sitting down on the bench,"Is he doing anything?"

                "No," Kari said,"But I'm afraid he might recognize me. He's sitting right on the bleachers, watching us practice."

                "What do you want me to do? You have the device!"

                "I don't know how to use it!"

                "Alright, alright, I'm coming." Tai clicked the phone off, then ran over to her teachers, thinking of an excuse to leave.

                Kari huffed as she ran with the other girls up the relay. Once she reached the other end, she quickly did five jumping jacks, then ran back to tag the other girl for her turn. Kari panted as she walked to the end of the line. She had tried out for cheerleading once, but she didn't remember ever having to do this.

                Kari glanced over her shoulder to the group of people on the bleachers. Evil Tai was still there, but he seemed completely uninterested in Kari or any of the other girls. He just kept staring at the sky, as if he was looking for something.

                Kari turned her attention to the parking lot and was relieved when Tai came running in. She smiled at the leotard and tights she was wearing, knowing that Tai couldn't make fun of her anymore.

                "Okay guys," the coach said,"Practice is over."

                As the other girls were slowly starting to pick up their stuff, Kari quickly shoved hers into her gym bag, then ran over to where Tai was walking in. "Tai!" she shouted,"He's right there, up on the bleachers!"

                "Alright, let's walk over there." Tai took a deep breath, then started walking, Kari was following close behind. By the time they had reached the bleachers, everyone except for Tai, Kari, and the Evil Tai had gone. Tai and Kari had reached the edge of the bleachers, but Evil Tai kept looking straight forward. 

                "You guys are here too, huh?"

                Tai and Kari jumped. Evil Tai turned to face them. "But you're too late!"

                "W..what do you mean by that?" Kari asked.

                Evil Tai held up a square shaped device and pointed it to the sky. He pressed a button on the side, and a large glowing hole appeared in the sky. "See you in the next world!" he shouted in glee. He pressed a button on his belt, and he shot into the hole, a stream of smoke trailing behind.

                "He's gone!" Kari shouted,"What happened?"

                "He's gone into the next world," Tai sighed.

                "Should we follow him?"

                "No," Tai shook her head,"According to Sara, if we did, we'd end up in that world in these bodies, and I'd prefer not to be a 10-year-old girl for the rest of my life."

                Kari smiled slightly, then held up the device Sam had given her,"What do I do with this." 

                The device suddenly shot out a colored stream of light that entered the center of the hole. Almost like a vacuum, the rip was pulled towards the stream of light until it was gone. The stream of light faded a second later. Kari looked at the device, then scratched her pink hair, "So that's how it works."

                Tai smiled slightly,"Come on, big sister, let's go."

                Kari wrapped her arms around Tai's shoulder,"You got it, little sister."

                The rest of the night went like it would in a normal household. Tai and Kari talked about their practice over dinner, then spent a few hours watching t.v. Finally, it was time for bed.

                Tai climbed into her bed, laying down on the white laced pillows. She was just pulling the covers up when Kari peeked in. "Tai, I just thought of something. When we change worlds, is that device that Sam gave me coming to?"

                Tai yawned, then shrugged. "I don't know. If Sara and Sam gave it to you, then they must have it all planned out."

                "I'm worried about them."

                Tai smiled slightly,"They have a way of coming and going as they please. They'll be fine."

                Kari returned the smile. "Good night, I'll see you in the next world."

                "Good night." 

                Kari clicked the light off and walked into her room. Tai took one last look at her female 10-year-old counterpart's room, then closed her eyes.

                to be continued....


	12. My sister, my babysitter

                Chapter 12

                My sister, my babysitter

                When Tai opened his eyes he noticed that he was staring up at a bright blue sky. "I don't have a bedroom roof?" he asked himself. He thennoticed that there was a fresh breeze on his face. He quickly sat upright, and saw that he was lying on the beach. "What the-?"

                He glanced at himself and noticed how small he was. Turning to the right, he saw a much younger version of his mother lying on a beach towel. She was wearing sunglasses, so he couldn't tell if she was awake or not.

                _"I'm five-years-old again,_" he thought,_"And my mother is a rich young single parent, and Kari and Sora are sisters..wait, where's Kari?"_

                He started looking around, but then gave up. Even if Kari was on the beach full of people, there would be no way for him to find her.

                His mother turned to him and smiled,"You awake honey?"

                Tai nodded.

                His mother laughed slightly,"It's really fun going every weekend to the beach, isn't it? Sometimes I'm glad we have extra money."

                Tai nodded, then turned his attention to the scenery. _"I don't have any idea where Kari is, and she has the device that closes the rips! Perfect! Now what?"_

                Mrs. Kamiya seemed to sense a change in her son's mood. "Why don't you build some sand castles? We'll be leaving soon."

                Tai nodded. Then grabbed one of his buckets and a shovel. He was depressed, so he really wasn't paying attention to the people around him. It was a few minutes before he noticed someone was standing in front of him. He glanced up at a familiar looking 16-year-old girl wearing a pink bikini. "Kari!" he shouted out without thinking.

                His mother removed her sunglasses and smiled slightly. "Kari, right?"

                She nodded,"That's right, Mrs. Kamiya."

                Tai glanced at Kari with a questioning look, but she just winked. A second later, she was joined by an 18-year-old girl in a yellow bikini, holding two ice cream cones. She handed one to Kari. "Here you go, sis."

                "Thanks, Sora," Kari smiled slightly.  

                Sora turned to Mrs. Kamiya and Tai,"Oh, hello, Tai, right?"

                Mrs. Kamiya stood up. "I'm his mother."

                Sora nodded,"That's right. Nice to meet you."

                "Do you two live around here?"

                Sora nodded,"Our mother owns a flower shop in in Odiba."

                "Really? That's where I live too," she laughed, then glanced at her watch,"Shoot. Listen, I have to get to a meeting, do you mind watching Tai for the rest of the day? I'll pay you well."

                "That's no problem at all!" Kari spurted out before Sora could say anything.

                "Great," Mrs Kamiya said, gathering up her towels,"I'll meet you at that pizza shop at about, six o'clock?"

                Kari nodded,"Great." She knelt down so she was eye-lenght with Tai,"You don't mind, do you?"

                Tai shook his head.

                Sora hid her true feelings, and instead smiled."Sure, we have our stuff over there. Come on over."

                A few minutes later Tai was sitting next to Kari and Sora, trying to act as if he belonged there. Sora was angry that she had to spend her day babysitting, so when she saw someone walk onto the beach, she jumped up and ran over, finally giving Tai and Kari a chance to talk.

                "I was afraid that I had lost you," Tai said.

                "I know," Kari sighed. She reached into her beach bag and pulled out a square device,"I still have that thing that Sam gave me."

                Tai sighed."Great, now we've just got to find it."

                "Actually," Kari said, turning it on,"I've been getting a reading. I think its somewhere on the boardwalk."

                Tai nodded,"We'll have to check it out later....who's Sora coming back with?."

                Kari turned to where Tai was looking. Sora was walking back towards them with an older blond haired boy, and a little blond haired girl. "I don't know."

                Sora was all smiles when she reached them. "Kari," she said,"You remember by boyfriend Tk."

                Kari had to keep herself from gasping, but she just nodded.

                Sora knelt down next to Tai,"Tai, we've got someone for you to play with. This is Tk's younger sister, Matt."

                Tai almost fell over backwards, but kept his composition. _"Finally, justice has been served!"_

                Tk wasn't very happy about having to bring his little sister to the beach with him, so he was relieved when Matt sat down next to Tai, it gave him a Sora a chance together. Kari knew that they weren't going to be able to investigate the reality rip, so she just leaned back in her seat and watched Matt and Tai.

                "Do you wanna build sand castles?" Matt asked, grabbing her bucket.

                "Sure," Tai smiled, grabbing his bucket. He hadn't been five years old in thirteen years, and he was going to have fun. As he stared to fill up his bucket, he felt like he was being watch. He turned around and saw a large five year old boy staring at him. _"Derwood! but, if he's here, what happened to Sam and Sara? I hope they're okay."_

                Tai didn't know how long he and Matt had been playing in the sand, but it felt like like hours later when he heard Sora and Tk whispering to each other, then Sora handing Kari a stack of money. "Take the two kids and give us some time alone, okay?"

                "Uh, sure," Kari said, sitting up. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts, then turned to Tai and Matt. "Come on guys, I'll treat you to ice cream."

                Matt dropped her buckets and stood straight up. "Oh boy! Strawberry?"

                Kari giggled slighty,"Whatever you want. Come on Tai."

                Tai knew that this was going to be their chance to try and find the tear in reality, so he quickly followed. He doubted that they were two feet away, before Tk and Sora charged into the ocean. Although it was weird that Tk and Sora would be an item, it wasn't as strange as the blond haired girl next to him named Matt.

                Kari lead her two young charges up to the boardwalk and they stopped at the first ice cream stand there was. Matt got a strawberry cone, Tai had a chocolate, and Kari had vanilla. After they finished their ice cream, they walked down the boardwalk until they came to one of the arcades.

                "Let's go in here!" Tai said, pointing to the video games.

                "I wanna win a stuffed dog!" Matt shouted, running inside.

                "You're really getting into your role here, aren't you?" Kari whispered into Tai's ear.

                Tai blushed slightly, then walked inside. Tai stopped by a racing car game. "I've got to look for Matt," Kari sighed,"I can trust you to behave yourself?"

                Tai nodded.

                "Good, I'll be right back." Kari ran in Matt's direction.

                Tai turned to the video game and put a quarter into the slot. He started enjoying himself until he felt a presence behind him. He spun around and sighed. "Matt!"

                "Where's Kari?" she asked, looking around.

                "She went looking for you," Tai sighed. He grabbed Matt's hand,"Come on." He lead her towards the back of the arcade, trying to find Kari, when he saw a familiar looking five-year-old boy standing by one of the machines. 

                "Tai."

                "Derwood."

                Tai felt Matt sneak around behind him. _"I can't do anything with Matt here. I've got to get rid of her somehow."_

                Derwood crossed his arms and mentioned to the little blond girl behind Tai. "Did you make a girlfriend?"

                Tai started to growl. "Where is Sara and Sam?"

                Derwood chuckled, "Let's just say they are enjoy a stay at our prison complex."

                "Let them go!" Tai shouted, about to jump over and tackle Derwood to the ground, but he remembered Matt was behind him.

                "Where's the Trans-dimensional Repair unit?" he asked.

                "I don't have it."

                Derwood just shrugged."I'm going to have to take you in then." He started walking towards them, when Kari suddenly stepped between them.

                "Come on Tai," she said, grabbing his and Matt's hand,"You'll have to say goodbye to your playmate now."

                Derwood crossed his arms. When the trio was out of the arcade, he quickly ran after them.

                "He's still behined us," Kari whispered.

                "Take Matt to the bathroom, or something," Tai whispered back,"I'll fight him alone."

                Kari nodded, then grabbed Matt's hand."Do you have to use the bathroom?"

                Matt nodded.

                "Wait here for us, okay Tai?" Kari said, leading Matt into the ladies's room.

                Tai took a deep breath; he knew that Derwood was still behined him. He entered the little boys room, but surprisingly no one was there. He heard the door close shut behined him. "Give up, Mr. Kamiya," he said.

                "Why are you after me?" Tai asked.

                "You have violated time and space. You belong to one reality, and you must stay in that reality."

                "I didn't choose this!" Tai shouted,"My evil double is the way that started this whole thing!"

                "But he has stayed stationary in your reality until you came back," Derwood nodded,"Had you stay in one of the realities that you visited, there would be no problem. However, you are trying to fight your double, which is causing more damage in space and time."

                "We're trying to close the rips in reality!" Tai said.

                "That cannot be allowed," Derwood said,"For without those rips, the Reality Police would not have the power we need to monitor dimensional offenders, such as yourself. Hand over the device, now!"

                "I don't have it!" Tai shouted.

                Derwood lunged at him, but Tai twisted out of the way; his foot snagged on Derwood's ankle and the Reality Policeman slammed in the floor. Derwood twisted around and glared at him. "You're finished!"

                Derwood jumped up, but he noticed that something was flashing on his writs. "My watch!" he shouted,"It broke during the fall!"

                "So?"

                "You idiot! You broke my connection with reality! I'm phasing back! I'll get you for this Kamiya!" He suddenly vanished.

                "That's how you get rid of him," Tai said,"I'll remember that."

                He found Kari and Matt waiting for him outside the ladies' room. As Matt lead the way back to Sora and Tk, Tai whispered to Kari what had happened to Derwood, and Kari told Tai that she had repaired the reality rip. It was in the ladies' room, in one of the stalls.

                When the trio reached the area where Sora and Tk were, Mrs. Kamiya was there waiting."It's getting dark, and you need your sleep," Mrs. Kamiya told Tai after he protested leaving.

                "He was no trouble at all," Kari giggled. 

                "I'm glad," Mrs. Kamiya said, grabbing Tai's hand,"Thanks again."

                Tai turned with a worried look on his face, but Kari mouthed "I'll fall asleep now, so we'll move worlds together."

                Tai smiled and nodded. He turned back around and soon found himself at his mother's car. She packed everything away, and Tai climbed into the passenger seat.

                "Did you have fun today?" Mrs. Kamyia asked as she drove down the road.

                Tai nodded. He leaned back into his seat and fell asleep.


	13. Role Reversal

Chapter 13:

                Role Reversal

                Tai opened his eyes to find that he was once again in his room. He yawned and got out of bed. He yawned again and stumbled into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw a ten-year-old face staring back at him. He nodded, too tired to really care. He was about to walk back into his room, but nearly ran into a sixteen-year-old Kari. "Tai," she smiled,"Once again, you're younger than me?"

                "I'm not in the mood," Tai grumbled.

                "Oh, come on," Kari chuckled,"Lighten up."

                Tai shouted an obscenity as he climbed back into bed. "You're no fun," Kari chuckled, walking into the living room. She found that everything was the same in her original world. As she walked around the small apartment, she noticed that there was one major difference, everything in the apartment was altered because Kari was the oldest. Cheerleading and gymnastic trophies replaced soccer ones, there were more romance DVD's along the wall then action movies. Kari was the oldest in this reality, and it was very obvious.

                She shrugged slightly, then walked into the kitchen. She started preparing breakfast, when she heard the television set click on. She figured that Tai had finally gotten up. She grinned and walked into the living room. "Hey, little brother," she grinned,"You're finally.....What the?" The television was indeed on, but Tai was still asleep in his room. There wasn't even a channel on, it was just static. 

Kari just shrugged and went to turn it off. However, before she did, the static called out to her. "...Kari..."

                The girl stopped and stared at the static channel. "S..Sam?" she asked.

                "Don't listen...to Derwood," Sam said,"Don't listen to him!"

                "Sam!" Kari cried, lightly banging on the television,"Sam, wait? Where are you? Sam!" The television turned back off.

                Tai glanced out the window of his now older sister's room. "Well, we don't have any idea what Sam and Sara are really capable of," Tai sighed,"How are we suppose to know that that was really her?"

                "It was," Kari said,"There's no mistake." She walked over to her bed and pulled out a small rectangular device. "I wanted to tell you this morning, I found the reality rip, it's at the Nerima Department Store."

                Tai just shook his head. "What are we suppose to do? How are we suppose to track them? we don't have any idea where they might be?"

                Kari shrugged,"Maybe Izzy..."

                "And what are we suppose to tell him?" Tai snapped,"He _might_ believe us, but I really don't want to risk it."

                Kari just frowned. "We'll, we have to do something!"

                The door to Kari's room opened up and Mrs. Kamiya peeked her head in. "Kids," she said,"Your father and I are leaving now. What are you two going to do?"

                Tai and Kari looked at each other, then shrugged. "We're just going to hang out," Tai said.

                Their mother nodded. "Alright, but what ever you do, Kari, keep on eye on your little brother."

                Tai blushed as Kari smiled,"Sure Mom."

                Their mother said goodbye, then left. Tai sighed and rubbed his face,"I'm never going to get used to 'little brother."

                Kari grinned,"I like being able to look after _you_ for a change."

                Tai grumbled. "Well, maybe..."

                The telephone rang. Tai was about to jump up to get it, when Kari said that she should get it, being the older sibling. "Hello?...What? Yeah...but...no....all right, all right! Fine." She slammed the phone down.

                "What was that?" Tai asked.

                "Derwood," Kari frown,"He wants us to meet him in one hour."

                Tai snorted,"Yeah right!"

                "If we don't, Sara and Sam are going to be killed."

                Tai just nodded,"Where?"

                "The Nerima Department Store."

                Tai coughed,"You're kidding, right?"

                Kari shook her head.

                Tai sighed,"Now what do we do? If we go there, _we_ might end up in trouble. Besides, didn't Sam tell you _not_ to listen to Derwood?"

                "I know, but...I can't stand the thought that maybe we can save them, but we won't."

                Tai shrugged, then smiled slightly. "Alright, older sister."

                "Sure thing, little brother."

                "Why are you two laughing, and who are Sara and Sam?"

                The two siblings twirled around and saw their Digimon staring at them. "Agumon!" Tai shouted.

                "Gatomon!" Kari shouted.

                The two digimon stared at each other, then back at the humans. "Have you two switched bodies?"

                "What?" they asked.

                "_I'm_ Kari's partner!" Agumon said.

                "And I'm Tai's," Gatomon nodded.

                "No, we haven't switched bodies," Tai said. He glanced at Kari,"I guess we have to tell them, don't we?"

                "Tell us what?"

                Kari grabbed the keys out of her purse,"I'll explain on the way, come on."

                As Kari drove towards the department store, Tai explained everything to Gatomon and Agumon, from the first time he woke up in a different reality, to Sara, Sam, and Derwood. Both Digimon listen with their mouths open wide. "Wow, Tai," Gatomon said,"I had no idea that there were so many other worlds out there."

                Agumon shifted uncomfortably. "So, this 'Sara' and 'Sam' can help you get our real partners back?"

                "Your partners will return after nightfall," Tai said,"But unless we close the rip in reality, we might have to try again later."

                Agumon nodded,"So, that device that Kari has will close the 'rip', but we won't be able to look until we fight this "Derwood' guy?"

                Kari nodded, but Tai shook his head. "No, one of us is going to look for the rip, the other's are going to face Derwood."

                Kari turned to him. "Who?"

                "You know how to work the Trans-dimensional Repair unit, right? You and Ga..and Agumon, will search for the rip. Gatomon and I will face Derwood."

                "You didn't even want to," Kari pointed out.

                "That's not the point," Tai sighed,"You were right, we've got to save them, if this isn't a trap."

                "I'm sure it is," Gatomon jumped onto Tai's lap,"But we'll help you, if it means getting our real partners back."

                Tai smiled slightly and lightly rubbed the back of Gatomon's back. 

                The small force entered the mall after Kari parked her car. Gatomon was hiding inside of Tai's jacket, and Agumon was disguised in his trench coat. "Do we split up?" Kari asked.

                Tai nodded."We'll look for Derwood. If you see him first, call us."

                Kari nodded. She grabbed Agumon's arm,"Let's go."

                Gatomon fidgeted inside of Tai's jacket as he walked through the mall. "So, where's Darrenn?"

                "My name is Derwood!"

                Tai twirled around and saw Derwood standing with his arms crossed, pissed as usual. "So, you decided to except my challenge? But where is your sister?"

                "She's busy!" Tai shouted."Where are Sara and Sam?"

                Derwood chuckled and turned around,"Follow me." Tai did. 

                The Reality Policeman lead them through one of the doors to the hallways inside the mall to one of the loading docks. Inside was a giant glowing bubble with two familiar occupants. "Sara! Sam!" Tai shouted.

                "What are you doing here?" Sara shouted,"Don't worry about us! You've got to repair reality."

                "Reality is just fine, thank you," Derwood laughed,"It told me so, ha!"

                Tai glared at him,"Let them go."

                "If you defeat me, I will," Derwood chuckled.

                "I'm not alone," Tai smiled. He opened his jacket and Gatomon jumped onto the floor. 

                Derwood laughed. "Neither am I!" He pointed to the ceiling, where a dragon creature descended to the floor."Meet Baham, defeat him, and I'll free your mentors."

                Gatomon glanced over her shoulders. "Alright, Tai, do it!"

                Tai held out his digivice. "Go!"

                "Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

                The dragon screeched as he hovered into the air. Angewomon punched him in the stomach. Baham flew out of the loading dock and into the air where the angel and the dragon had more room to maneuver.

                Derwood ran outside to watch, but back inside, Sara glared at Tai. "Why did you come after us? Sam told Kari not to come after us!"

                "We had to!" Tai shouted,"We weren't just going to leave you!"

                Sara grumbled something and turned her head away.

                Back inside the mall, Kari and the disguised Agumon followed the signal from the Trans-Dimensional Unit to the food court."It's somewhere in here," Kari whispered. 

                "But where?" Agumon asked.

                Kari pressed a few buttons on the device and the radar on the small screen changed to a smaller version with much more precise details. Kari mentioned to the stands on the left side. "It's over there somewhere, come on."

                She lead him to each stand until she came to a burger stand. "It's probably behind there," Kari whispered to Agumon,"Can you create a diversion, so I can get back there?"   

                Agumon nodded. "Should I digivolve?"

                "No, I don't think that'll be necessary. Just fire your Pepper Breath at the sprinkler system. Hopefully, they'll all evacuate, and I'll be able to get behind there."

                Agumon nodded. "Right away." He trotted over to one of the corners, so no one would see him. He opened his mouth and fired a fireball at the sprinklers above him. Sure enough, the fire alarm sound a second later and the sprinklers came on. Everyone started running out the door, but Kari quickly jumped behind the stand and ran into the back.

                She found reality's tear. Unlike the one in the world where Tai was Kari's little sister, this tear was small enough that it was well hidden in a two inch space between the grill and the wall. The device acted on its own, shooting out a beam of light that entered the small vortex and closed it tight.

                "That's done!" she congratulated herself, then joined the remainder of the crowd as they ran outside.

                Back at the battle, Angewomon had Baham on the ropes. She pounded the dragon in the stomach, then twirled around and kicked him in the face. The dragon opened his mouth and fired a blast of fire into Angewomon's stomach. The angel recovered herself quickly enough and pounded both of her fists into Baham's snout.

                "Beat her!" Derwood shouted.

                "Kick that dragon's scaly hide, Angewomon!" Tai shouted.

                Baham fired another stream of fire at the digimon. Angewomon flew under the dragon and pointed her hands against the flying lizard's belly. "Heaven's Charm!"

                The dragon roared in pain and he suddenly was unable to move. Angewomon flew around to the immobile dragon's face. Her hands transformed into a bow and arrow. "Celestial Arrow!"

                The dragon started glowing then exploded apart. Angewomon dropped to the ground and turned into Gatomon. Tai grinned at Derwood."I won. Release them now!"

                Derwood growled, then walked over to the glowing bubble. He pressed a button on his watch and the bubble disappeared. The reality policeman glared at Tai. "You won our duel, I will leave in honor, but next we meet..." He growled, then exited the loading dock.

                Tai ran over to Sara and Sam. "Are you two okay?"

                Sara nodded, then smiled at Tai. "Thank you for coming after us."

                Tai grinned,"No problem."

                The fire alarm suddenly sounded through the mall. "What now?" Tai asked.

                "Come on," Gatomon said,"We've got to get out." She jumped back into Tai's jacket and the humans ran out of the mall.

                Later that night at the Kamiya house, Sara and Sam were resting in Kari's room, as the two Kamiyas watched them recover. "Again, thank you." Sara said.

                "Yeah, we really appreciate it," Sam smiled.

                The door to the apartment opened. Sara and Sam quickly ran over to the balcolny,"It looks like your parents are home. We'll see you in the next world." Sara said, smiling. She and Sam jumped over the balcony edge and vanished in a burst of light.

                The two digimon looked up at Tai and Kari. "So, tomorrow we'll have our real partners back?" Agumon asked.

                Tai nodded. "Yeah." He knelt down in front of Gatomon,"Thank you for helping us."

                "Or course," Gatomon bowed,"Just...take care of yourself, and I hope you get back to normal soon."

                "So do I," Tai said. "Kari, good night, and I'll see you tomorrow."

                "Good night, little brother," Kari laughed, climbing into bed.

                "Good night, older sister," Tai chuckled walking into his room. He climbed into bed and closed his eyes.


	14. Kari takes the lead

Chapter 14:

                Kari takes the lead.

                When Tai awoke this time, he noticed that he was staring straight up at the ceiling. He moved his head slightly to the right only to stare at his room through thick bars. "_The baby again? No!"_ He felt tears start to fall from his eyes. He couldn't help it, he just kept crying and crying.

                A second later a five-year-old Kari ran into the room. "Tai?" she asked,"Is that you?"

                The baby stared at her through tear stained eyes. Kari held up her hands,"Okay, I'm sorry." She started looking around, then noticed a chair off to the side. She pulled the chair over to the crib, then climbed on it. She unlocked the crib, then lifted up her, once again,  little brother. "Jeeze, you're pretty heavy."

                Tai gave a muffed cry.

                "Yeah, I've got a five-year-old body this time," she grinned, carrying him into the living room and placed him in the playpen. He gave her an evil glance.

                "I know I'll get yelled at by Mom if I just let you roam around," she said, walking over to the kitchen, "I hear her moving around." 

                Tai crawled over to the edge of his playpen and plopped down on his diaper bottom. He watched Kari walk around in the kitchen, trying to pour milk over her bowl of cereal. She only succeeded in making a mess all over the table. She turned to look at Tai, and he pointed his finger at her and pretended he was laughing.

                She stuck her tongue out at him, then climbed onto a chair to grab the roll of paper towels. She was able to clean up her mess before their mother walked out of her room. "Good morning Kari."

                Kari quickly spun around and hid the paper towels behind her back. " 'mornin' Mommy!" she smiled, trying to remember how she acted when she was five, "I...I brought Tai into his playpen."

                "Thank you, Kari," their mother said with a big smile. She walked into the living room and Kari quickly threw the wet paper towels into the trash can. She followed her mother. She grinned as Tai was lifted up with their mother making baby noises to him. Mrs. Kamiya felt Tai's bottom. "I think you need your diaper changed."

                Kari stared laughing. Her mother turned around. "What's so funny?"

                "I..I was just thinkin' about somethin'."

                "Oh, okay. Eat your breakfast honey. I don't want Sora to have to by you breakfast too."

                "Uh, okay, Mommy," she smiled. Mrs. Kamiya brought Tai into the changing room, and Kari climbed into her chair. "Why would Sora have to buy me breakfast? Is she my older sister or something?"

                After Mrs. Kamiya changed Tai, she told Kari to get dressed. The now five-year-old walked into her room. It was full of pink and white, the walls were covered with dolls and frilly things. She sighed, the room looked just like it did when she was five. She chuckled slightly and started fishing through her draws, hoping that there was something that wasn't so...frilly.

                Mrs. Kamiya dressed her son, then carried him out into the living room. Kari was sitting on the couch wearing a pair of jeans and pink t-shirt. Mrs. Kamiya put Tai into his playpen and turned the t.v. on for Kari. The rest of the morning was pretty much uneventful until there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Kamiya opened it and smiled. "Sora, hello."

                Kari and Tai twisted their heads around and gasped, a 16-year-old Sora was standing in the hall. Mrs. Kamiya walked over and lifted up Tai and brought him over to Sora's arms.

                "Wow," she said, holding Tai in her arms,"You sure are getting big."

                Kari smiled more as Tai began to blush. Sora swung a bag around her shoulder, then grabbed Kari's hand. "Come on guys, we're going to the park."

                "Hurray." Kari cheered, trying to play the part.

                When they were at the park, Sora brought her charges to a bench near the grass. Kari held her brother as Sora layed the blanket onto the grass and Kari placed Tai down. "Okay Kari," Sora said with a big smile on her face,"You can go and play, just make sure that I can see you. And be back at noon for lunch."

                Kari glanced at her now baby brother. Tai was lying on the blanket, staring at her with hopeful eyes. Kari smiled at him, then ran into the park.

                She found herself at the swing set. She jumped into an empty one and started swinging. She soon forgot all about her mission, as she lost herself in the swinging. She forgot she was really a 14-year-old, but just lost herself as a five-year-old.

                She was laughing and having such a great time that when she saw two familiar girls on the ground, she almost did not want to stop. "Hi, Kari."

                Kari looked at the two 6-year-old girls, one with brown hair, and the other with blond hair. "Sam, Sara, hi."

                "You don't look so happy to see us," Sam chuckled.

                Kari just shrugged, then looked at her watch. "Oh, I've got to back for lunch. Do you want to come?"

                The two girls glanced at each other, but then Sara nodded."Sure, let's go."

                Kari lead the two girls back over to Sora's blanket. She was holding Tai in her lap and feeding him with a bottle. Kari frowned at her brother, knowing that he was probably well enjoying it. "Um, Sora, I made some new friends. Can they eat lunch with us?"

                Sora smiled. "Sure, I brought plenty."

                Kari smiled a reply, then mentioned to her friends. "This is Sara, and this is Sam."

                Sora smiled and bowed as best she could. "Please help yourself to anything that I have." The three girls nodded, and started to dig into Sora's bag.            

                As they were eating, Sora suddenly shouted out,"Chi! You're here!" and placed Tai back on the blanket. The three girls and the baby turned their attention and gasped, the Digimon Emperor Tai was walking right towards them. The three girls were dead silent as the Digimon Emperor Tai sat down in the chair next to Sora's and lightly kissed her on the lips. "How are you?"

                Sora giggled. "Fine."

                Emperor Tai smiled and turned his attention to the kids on the blanket. He did a very good job of covering up his surprise. "...and who are these?"

                "Oh, just some kids that I'm watching," Sora laughed. She crossed her legs and smoothed out her skirt.

                Sara and Sam turned to Kari and Tai. "It's him!" Kari hissed.

                "And he knows its us!" Sam answered.

                "What do we do?"

                "Just pretend like we're playing a game or something," Sara whispered,"I doubt he'll do anything with Sora and all these people here. Just whispered.

                Kari nodded.

                "Okay," Sara whispered,"The reason why we're here is to prepare you for the next world that you must visit?"

                Kari turned to Tai, but remembered that he couldn't talk, so she spoke. "What world?"

                Sara took a deep breath,"The worst world that Tai has ever visited." she whispered," The Digimon Emperor Tai world."

                Tai placed his hands over his eyes. Kari glanced at him, then back at the two girls. "You mean..the world in which that evil Tai came from?"

                Sara nodded. "Unfortunately, both of you are...no longer alive..in that world."

                Kari felt a slight chill up her spine. "What does that mean?"

                "We'll have to create new bodies for you," Sam nodded, eating her lunch.

                "New bodies?" Kari gasped.

                "Yes, you see, we are able to create bodies for you. The reason we have not done so before, is simply because your ...'spirit' will move into it's own body. That is why when you change worlds, you become the person you were meant to in that world. You become the Kari in each world, just as your brother becomes the Tai in each world. However, there is no Tai or Kari in the next world."

                Kari nodded. "Okay, I get it. So when we fall asleep tonight, we'll move into whatever bodies you prepare for us?"

                Sam nodded. "That's right."

                Kari turned to her now younger brother. "Do you understand, Tai?"

                The baby nodded as best he could. 

                The group stopped talking when they heard Sora rise from her chair. "I need to use the restroom, Chi," she said to Emperor Tai,"Do you mind watching them until I get back?"

                He nodded. "Sure." 

                The group watched as she walked into the public restrooms. Emperor Tai twirled towards them. "Well," he said with a smile,"I guess we meet again, huh?" He glanced at baby Tai,"It would be so easy to end your life here, huh?"

                "Leave him alone!" Kari shouted, jumping in front of him,"What are you doing here?"

                "Same as you, no doubt, trying to find the entrance to the next world," he smiled,"I must say, you've followed me on quite a grand chase."

                "We haven't been following you. We've just been entering worlds at random!"

                "You really expect me to believe that?" he chuckled.

                Sara stepped forward. "Really, why are you here?"

                Emperor Tai grinned."Each world that I visit, I've been..enjoying..life. I could not have anything to do with Sora in the first world I came to after leaving your world, as she was only seven years old. In the next two worlds, she was already taken. But in this world..." he started laughing.

                "Sora is my friend!" Kari shouted,"and I'm not going to let you take advantage of her!"

                Emperor Tai laughed,"And what's a five-year-old girl going to do to stop me?"

                "Plenty!"

                "Ha! I'm not going to..'take advantage of her' but I will need her energy. You see, I've discovered that the entrance to the ultimate reality requires such...faith and purity to open, that I will need the energy of each of the 'purer; digidestined!"

                "What are you talking about?"

                Emperor Tai began counting off on his fingers."Sora-Love, Ken-Kindness, Kari-Light, Tk-Hope, Jyou-Truth, and Mimi-Purity. Once I take these energies, the Ultimate Reality will be open to me!"

                Emperor Tai started to think for a minute. "If I take you out of the game now, than you won't be able to stop me later." He was about to get up, when he heard Sora comming back. 

                "They weren't any trouble I hope," she grinned, sitting in her chair.

                "None at all," Emperor Tai laughed.

                Kari twirled back around and faced Sara, Sam and Tai. "What should we do? Can we fight him?"

                Sara shook her head. "He's still too powerful. We're going to have to watch him, he's after Sora, no doubt about it."

                Kari sighed, then glanced at her baby brother, who was just lying on his back. "I don't want to leave Tai alone with them, either...and..."

                Sora suddenly stepped between them and strapped Tai into the stroller. She then turned to Kari. "Why don't you girls go and play on the swings. Chi and I want to...discuss..some adult matters."

                Kari just nodded, knowing what was about to happen. She was going to protest, and then fake a temper tantrum if that's what it took, but Sara and Sam pulled her away from the blanket and over towards the swings. At the last second, however, they dove behind a thick over brush.

                "What did you do that for?" Kari asked.

                "We weren't going to win that argument, trust me," Sam said, glancing at Sara,"I should know."

                "What does that mean?" Sara asked.

                "There isn't time for this!" Kari hissed, looking around the bushes at their 'camp site.' "Sora and Evil Tai are really going at it. Jeeze! I didn't think Sora was so...easy...like that."

                "Not the Sora from your world at any rate," Sara sighed,"This revelation now makes things so much more difficult. Not only do we have to close every rip, run from Derwood and the Police of Time and Space, but now we'll have to try and stop Evil Tai from gaining the powers he needs."

                "Maybe Derwood gave up," Kari said, a little hopeful.

                "Doubt it," Sam sighed,"Derwood is Reality's agent, and it will not allow us to continue like we are. "

                Kari suddenly gasped. "What is it?" Sara asked.

                "Evil Tai just killed Sora!" Kari shouted. The two other girls looked and saw Sora lying motionless on the ground, with Evil Tai standing over her, and evil grin on his face. The three girls ran as fast as they could to intercept him, but he was already running towards a grove of trees. Sam knelt down beside Sora and felt her neck.

                "Is she alive?" Kari asked.

                Sam nodded. "Yes, but it looks like she's asleep. He must have taken the energy he needed from her."

                "Which means he already has one," Sara said.

                "Not if we get there first!" Kari shouted, jumping onto her feet. "Sam, can you stay here and watch everything?"

                "Um..yeah, I guess..."

                Kari glanced at her baby brother in the stroller. He was crying. "Don't worry," Kari said,"We'll get him. Come on Sara!"

                The two girls ran after him, but he was already gone. They could not find him. After at least a half-hour of searching, they returned to the campsite, to find that Sora was sitting up in her chair, but her eyes were still closed.

                "I put her there," Sam explained,"Took a lot in this five-year-old's body too, but this way it looks like our babysitter is still with us."

                Kari breathed a sigh of relief. She unfasten Tai's stroller and lifted him over to the blanket. "There," she smiled,"You should be able to crawl around now."

                The group just sat in silence for the next few minutes before Sora woke up. "Ow, what happened?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head.

                "Um..what do you mean?" Kari asked,"We..didn't notice anything."

                Sora started glancing around. "Where's Chi?"

                "He went home," Kari lied.

                Sora frowned and leaned back in her chair. "I can't believe he left like that!"

                Kari smiled. "Great, Sora's fine.  I guess that means we just have to find the rip in this world."

                Sam pointed to Kari's device,"Give if it a try."

                Kari smiled and pulled the device that Sam gave her out of her pocket. She pressed the buttons that she had memorized and the familiar image of the scanner appeared. Kari gasped. "It's right here, in the park!"

                "What luck," Sara smiled. 

                Kari turned around and smiled at her baby brother. "Don't worry, we'll take care of this, you just relax."

                Tai gave her an annoyed glance as Kari told Sora they were going to go back to the swings. "Alright," their babysitter said,"Just don't get lost."

                "Sure," Kari said. She and the two other girls jumped to their feet and ran across the grassy field. They followed the signal from Kari's device, and eventually found themselves at a small clearing near the edge of the park. The three girls searched around, but finally found what they were looking for: a small glowing hole near the bottom of a row of bushes. Sara mentioned to it. "Go ahead."

                Kari grinned and pressed the large button on the device. As before, the device emitted a beam of light. It shot into the center of the glowing hole and shrunk it tight. "That's that," Kari smiled.

                Later that night, Tai was lying in his crib, with Kari standing in front of the bars. "...so Sam and Sara told us that when we wake up we'll be in the next world, in the new bodies."

                The baby just continued to stare at her.

                "And even though I know you can hear and understand me, you can't respond to me. So I'll just say good night, and I'll see you tomorrow."

                Tai watched his sister leave, then closed his eyes.

                Next begins the three part "Return to Darkness," in which Tai and Kari return to the Digimon Emperor Tai's world. While on the run from Derwood and Evil Tai, the duo comes across a sinister plan of murder! Can they stop this evil dead, while at the same time, running from the Digimon Emperor Tai and the Reality Police?


	15. Return to Darkness: Part 1

Chapter 15:

                Return to Darkness: Part 1

                Tai felt the familiar sensation of waking up. He went to rub his eyes as he always did, but noticed that something was wrong. His arms weren't moving correctly, and his body felt..weird. When he opened his eyes he noticed how weird he really was. He was in a cage, a very small cage. He glance down as best he could and would have gasped if he were able...he was a dog, a tiny puppy.

                _"Great!"_ he thought,_"This has got to be the Digimon Emperor Tai world, but why am I inside of a dog? What am I going to do now, and where the heck is Kari?How am I even going to find out?"_

                "Over here, Mom."

                Tai froze when he heard that voice, he knew who it belonged to. He looked outside of the cage bars and saw a familiar pink haired girl starting at him. "Oh...this's one's so cute! I'll take him!"

                The woman behind the girl nodded. "If that's the one you want Mimi."

                A second later the cage door opened and Tai was lifted out by a young woman in a white lab coat. He could see that he was in a kennel or pound or something. A second later he was in Mimi's hands, pressed firmly up against her chest. He tried not to get too comfortable as Mimi's mother was signing papers at the desk.

                "You're so cute!" Mimi cooed to Tai,"You're so cute!"

                "What are you going to name him?" Mimi's mother asked.

                Mimi thought for a while, glancing at him, then nodded. "I like the name Akai."

                "Great, then that's that!"

                _"Perfect!"_ Tai thought as Mimi carried him out the doors,"_I'm stuck as a puppy, I have no idea where Kari is, and now I'm Mimi's pet! This can't get any worse!"_

When Kari opened her eyes, she noticed that everything was so much larger then usual. She was afraid that she had become someone too young to do any real good, when she realized that she was lying on her stomach. She got up, but found that her hands and feet were both on the ground. She glanced at herself and almost shouted in surprise, but it came out in a strange sound, a meow. She had become a cat.

                Kari started moving around, finding that it had become quite easy to walk around on four feet. She looked around, trying to find out where she was. It appeared that she was in an alley, roasting under her fur. She slowly walked to the sidewalk. The sun seemed so bright to her little eyes. She was able to catch a glimpse of the street sign and knew she was only a few blocks from her apartment. She turned her head down and started to walk down the sidewalk. She wasn't use to her new body, so she stumbled a few times before running into a pair of legs.

                She nervously looked up and saw Ken's face staring down at her. She didn't move as he knelt down. "Hi, there," he said, smiling slightly.

                Kari didn't move at all.

                Ken started to lightly rub her back. It felt so good to her cat body, that she couldn't help purring. Ken chuckled and lifted her up. He checked her neck,"Hmm, no collar...and you were stumbling around...maybe I should take you home with me."

                Kari tried to struggle free, but Ken's grip was solid as he started walking in the opposite direction.

                The Emperor Tai stood atop a building and looked over the city. "I'm back again," he said,"Back to my own world." He frowned,"Looks as hopeless as it did when I left."

                He walked to the other side to stare at the other side of the city.  Then he grinned. "Maybe if I try again, Sora will see that I'm the right guy for her." He frowned."No, this Sora hates me, Kari is dead, I hate this world. As soon as I get what I came for, I am leaving."

                He glanced down at the street and saw Ken. "Ah, well, first prey." He was about to jump down to him, but he saw something in Ken's hands-a cat, but one that he saw as it truly was. "Kari?" he asked, slightly confused,"How can she appear here? It most be those two girls that are helping her. I wonder where my 'double' is."

                He watched Ken and the cat Kari cross the street. "Looks like I'll have to wait, but, mark my words, Ken Ichijoji, your energy will be mine!"

                Evil Tai's double was trying not to throw up as Mimi threw him in the air with her arms before pulling him back down. She was lying on her bed, repedidbly moving Tai up, then pulling him to her face. "Oh, you're just so cute!"

                She pulled him close to her face and started snuggling him. "You're just so cute!" If Tai was in his own body, he probably would have thrown up.

                Mimi gently placed Tai on her pink covers, then jumped onto the floor. "I've got to show you to Sora! She'll just die!"

                Tai felt a weird feeling in his stomach. The Sora from this world hated the Evil Tai of this world for what he did to Matt. She wasn't going to be happy to see him. Then again, he was a little puppy, not the human that killed Sora's lover.

                Mimi picked up her phone and dialed the number. "Sora!" she cried,"I...oh....this is Mimi. You're probably in the Digital world, so I'll head there now. Bye." She clicked the phone off and turned to Tai.

                "That was the machine. It looks like we're going to take a trip into the Digital World," she grinned. She grabbed her bag with her digivice. She walked over to grab Tai, but noticed herself in the mirror. "Hmm, maybe I'd better change first."

                Tai's eyes widened as Mimi removed her blue shirt, then slid the white skirt off. Tai almost fainted as Mimi walked around in her room in nothing but her under garments. She pulled on a pair of tight fitting jeans and a stripped tank-top. "That's better," she grinned. She grabbed the comatose Tai, then opened a portal with her computer.

                "...and that's that," the vet said, smiling slightly as he removed the syringe from Kari's furry body. The new kitten was beginning to realize how Meko use to feel when ever it was time for his shots.

                "Thank you, doctor," Ken said, picking up his new pet kitten. He started petting her, and Kari couldn't help but start purring, it was a reflex action of her new body. The two walked out into the waiting room. While Ken started to pay the receptionist, Kari's new cat ears were picking up every sound that was in the immediate vicinity. One particular sound caught her attention, a voice that she knew well. Turning her head around, she saw a young man wearing a trench coat and a hat, sitting in the waiting room. He raised his head so that Kari could see his face-it was her brother! As she watched him grin, she knew that it was the Evil Tai. Ken said goodbye to the receptionist, then exited the building. Kari's heart started beating faster as the Evil Tai got up and followed them.

                She climbed up over Ken's shoulder so that she could watch behind her: the Digimon Emperor Tai was still following them. He had to be after her...wait, he was searching for the Crest energy from certain digidestined, he got Sora in the last world, so he must be after Ken! She had to get Ken away from him, but how, she was just a little cat? Wait, that's it!

                She quickly struggled free of Ken's grip, then started running. "Hey, where are you going?" Ken asked, running after her.

                Behind him, Evil Tai swore. "She's smart, then again, she is my little sister, but I must have Ken's energy!" He started running after them.

                Mimi and Tai arrived inside of a a large metal room with about a dozen computers along the wall. A girl with short brown hair was seated at a desk to the side of the door. She jumped up and ran over to them. "Hi, Mimi!" she grinned.

                "Hi, Noriko, how are you?"

                She shrugged. "I got stuck on receptionist duty. Luckily it hasn't been too busy." She looked down at Tai in Mimi's arms. "Oh, who's this?"

                Mimi grinned as she held Tai up to her face,"This is Akai."

                "Hi, Akai!" Noriko said in a baby voice."He's so cute."

                Mimi giggled. "I know! I want to show him to Sora."

                "Oh, sure." Noriko walked over to the desk and pressed a large button. The twin doors behind her unlocked. Mimi made Tai wave goodbye with his paw, and they walked out of the room and into a long hallway. Tai was amazed at the structure of the Digidestined in this reality. It was the kind of army and resources that he always dreamt of. Too bad the Tai in this world went bad, they probably could have done alot of good.

                Mimi suddenly shrieked."Yolei! Hi!"

                Tai turned his head and saw the purple haired girl running down the hall to see her. "Hi, Mimi!" She looked at Tai,"Who's this?"

                "Akai."

                "He's so cute!"

                Tai rolled his eyes, but the two girls didn't notice. "I was on my way to show him to Sora," Mimi said.

                Yolei nodded. "Yeah, that might help cheer her up. She's still kinda depressed over the..execution."

                Mimi's smile faded. "Yeah, I know. Even after all that he did, Tai once was her best friend."

                Yolei nodded,"But did you notice how weird he was getting at the end? Remember when he woke up crying? He thought he was that little girl?"

                "And when he thought he was that five-year-old boy?" Mimi asked,"Or the baby?"

                Tai was now listening inattentively. If the body of the Digimon Emperor Tai of this world was acting like that, it must have meant that the others Tais were being flung to _his_ body. So, now that that body was dead, where were they now going?

                Yolei nodded."I guess he was always a little unbalanced. I still think we should have got him treatment. If you're insane, that's a liable defense."

                Mimi just sighed. "He was given an evaluation. They determined that he was fit."

                Yolei just frowned. "Well, we can't do anything about it now, huh?" She smiled again and petted Tai,"Sora's in the lounge. Bye, handsome! See ya' later, Mimi."

                The pink haired girl waved goodbye and walked further down the hall and entered a room with a couple of chairs and a few televisions. The red-headed girl was on one of the couches watching t.v. "Sora!" Mimi called, quickly sitting down next to her,"Look what my mother got me today!" She held Tai up.

                Sora's sad face broke into a smile. "Owe, Mimi, he's so cute!"

                Tai would have shouted that he was sick of hearing that, but could only bark a reply. Sora laughed as she hugged him. Even though he was now a dog, he didn't want to break free.

                Kari lead Ken, and behind Ken, the Emperor Tai, on a long chase around the park.  She ran across the playground, ignoring the children that were there, and quickly started running along the brick wall. She would have been able to jump to the ground, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, the Evil Tai.

                He reached down and quickly picked her up. "Kari," he said,"You are my little sister, and I love you, so I will give you the chance to leave this world. I promise I won't try to harm Ken today, but if you're still here tomorrow, I'm sorry." 

                He dropped her, then ran away in the opposite direction. She figured that it meant she was safe for now. She was about to lead Ken back to his house, when she ran past one of the many green bushes that surround the path. She felt a pair of hands reach down and grab her, pulling her inside.

                Tai was starting to enjoy resting in Sora's arms as the two girls talked. He really didn't care about anything at this point, he just wanted to stay in sora's arms forever. That was not to be, as his dog ears picked up a sound from in the hall. Someone was walking by, the person's voice was in a low whispered, low enough that Mimi and Sora couldn't hear, but Tai's dog ears could. "I will kill them! I will kill them! Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya will die, and then we will finally be even."

                Tai jumped out of Sora's arms and ran into the hall. He could make out a shadow turning at the corner of the hall. He started running after it as fast as he could, but when he rounded the corner, he came face to face with a 15 year old Derwood.

                The Time and Space Policeman grinned. "Mr. Kamiya, how good to see you. I think that maybe you should come with me."

                Tai turned around and ran down the hall, Derwood was right behind him. The young puppy rounded another corner and saw a familiar blond haired girl standing in the hall. It was Sara. She opened the door to a janitor's closet or something, and mentioned for Tai to run inside. As soon as he did, she shut the door behind him. Derwood ran right past them.

                "That was close," Sara breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Tai, who was sitting on the floor next to her. "You didn't notice our companions yet?"

                Tai turned his attention to the back of the closet and saw Sam holding a white kitten. "Tai, the puppy," she said,"Meet Kari the cat."

                The cat and the dog stared at each other for a second, then at the two girls. "I'm sorry," Sara said,"This was not suppose to happen. The best way I can think to explain it to you is that...there was an..anolmy, when we sent you here, which resulted in both of you ending up in animal bodies. Now, the rip between realities is still here, and the Digimon Emperor Tai won't try anything until tomorrow, which means you two will have to remain here tomorrow as well."

                They both barked and meowed.

                "Don't worry," Sara said with a smile,"We'll move you into human bodies, but, since we are having some trouble creating human bodies lately, we'll just move you into bodies that already exist here. Such as a..possession, you could call it."

                The two animals glanced at each other, then back at them. They heard Mimi calling out her puppy's name. Sara reached down and lifted Tai up. "We'd better give you back now, I will see you guys tomorrow."

                Sam picked up Kari,"I'll take you back as well."

                Sara opened the door and walked into the hall. She walked into the lounge where Mimi was sitting on the couch crying. Sara walked over,"Excuse me, is this your's?"

                Mimi broke into a smile and grabbed Tai. "Oh, thank you so much! I was afraid that I lost him!" She grabbed Tai and hugged him tight. "I'm never letting you go again."

                Sara said goodbye and left.

                Ken lightly scratched the back of Kari's ear as she nibbled on her food. It tasted disgusting, but she was hungry. After she was done, Ken lifted her up and brought her over to a little cat bed that he prepared in his room. Kari laid down and fell asleep.

                Over in Mimi's room, she was having a hard time sleeping, all she kept doing was staring at Tai as he laid in his little bed. "I just love you so much!" she giggled, then finally crawled onto her bed and turned the light off.

                Tai closed his eyes and was soon asleep.

                to be continued....


	16. Return to Darkness: Part 2

                Chapter 16:

                Return to Darkness: Part 2

                When Tai opened his eyes, he found that he was staring up at the ceiling of a bedroom. He turned his head and spied an assortment of half-dressed female posters on the wall, while a Playstation and a fair assortment of games were underneath a television. He assumed that he was human, and, thankfully, male.

                He climbed out of bed and stepped on something soft. There was a shot yelp and he shot his foot back onto the bed, there was someone lying on the floor, wrapped in a sleeping bag! He gasped, then held his breath as the figures started to move. The top of the sleeping bag opened and a familiar looking head "Kari?"

                "Tai?" the girl asked,"Why do you have that funny looking hair cut?"

                "Why are you wearing glasses?" Tai asked back.

                The two siblings looked at each other, then jumped up. "How do we know what bodies we're in?" Kari asked.

                Tai looked around the room and spied a mirror on the other side of the door. The two ran over and glanced at their reflections, or, rather, their bodies' reflections. "I...I'm Davis?" Tai gasped.

                "I'm Yolei?" Kari shouted. "Wait a second, why was Yolei in Davis's room?"

                All the color drained from Tai's face. "Oh no, did we...."

                Kari took a few deep breaths. "Well, I mean, they would have had to be awake to do..._that_, right?" 

                Tai nodded. "R..right."

                "And...and we enter the bodies when they're are asleep. So it couldn't have been _us_,"

                Tai shook his head. "No.. no..."

                 "That is, e..even if they did, right?"

                Tai chuckled. "Yeah, why would Davis and Yolei...right? Ha..!" Kari joined him in laughing. A second later the door knocked. "Davis?"

                "Um..yes!" Tai shouted out.

                "Oh, good, is yolei awake too?"

                "Um..yes!"

                "Good, Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

                "O..okay." Tai turned to Kari. "Well, if Davis's mother knows you're here, it's probably not what we think. Ha ha ha."

                Kari just nodded. "Come on, we'd better get dressed."

                The two turned to face the opposite walls as they undressed. "We've got to find that reality rip," Kari said,"And Ken is the focus of Emperor Tai's attack."

                Tai nodded. "Yeah, and that murder is going to kill our parents. We've got to do soothing."

                Kari pulled on a white t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts. "Are you decent?"

                Tai was wearing Davis's usual attire and turned around. "Yeah. I'm really worried about Mom and Dad, even though their not _our_ Mom and Dad."

                Kari nodded."Yeah, I understand."

                "After breakfast we'll head back to the Digidestined base. We might be able to find something there." 

                The Emperor Tai felt the rays of sun flow onto his face. He sat up and stretched, then looked around the alley he had spent the night in. "I could have probably afforded a hotel room or something, why didn't I?" He chuckled slightly,"Maybe I am going crazy."

                "We'll, you _are_ talking to yourself."

                Emperor Tai spun around and watched as a figure flowed out of the shadows on the ground. The figure was dressed in a black hood and cloak. Emperor Tai reached for the sword around his belt,"I don't know who you are, but if you want a fight, you have no idea who I am."

                The figure laughed in a young woman's voice. Emperor Tai hovered his hand over the zapper gun as the figure reached up and pulled back the hood to reveal a young woman's face with long blond hair in two pigtails on either side of her head. "Alice?" Emperor Tai gasped.

                The young woman chuckled. "Welcome back Tai, it's good to see you again."

                "What are you doing here?" Tai asked,"Oh, I get it, repayment time, huh?"

                Alice laughed. "As long as you find those crest powers and open the ultimate realty, your debt will be paved in full."

                "But why do _you_ need to enter that reality? I know why I'm going."

                She laughed, then pulled her hood back on. "All in good time." She vanished back into the shadows.

                "I haven't seen her in five years," Emperor Tai mumbled,"Now she shows up out of nowhere. Why is she here?"

                At the Digidestined base, Tai walked around cautiously, but trying not to _look_ like he was being cautious. He walked past everyone in the hall, replying hello when they said hello first. He was actually quite amazed at the amount of Digidestineds that were working that early in the morning. In fact, he was even more amazed that there were that many Digidestineds at all!

                He finally found Davis's office, but when he walked inside, he found that Catherine was waiting for him. She was not wearing the same red dress she had been wearing at Emperor Tai's trial. This time, her outfit consisted of a red min-skirt and a tank top that barely fit her. She was sitting on Davis's desk with her legs crossed. "Bonjuor, Monsieur Motomiya"

                Tai started to sweat. "Uh, B..Bonjuor," he replied. He gulped. "Um, c..can I h..help you with something?"

                Catherine looked confused, then laughed. "Oh, I zee, I zee." She walked towards Tai, but he moved away. She trotted over to the door, and Tai moved towards Davis's desk, keeping the same amount of space between them. She locked the door, then grinned at him.

                Tai was so nervous he was almost shaking. "Um, w..what did you close the door for?"

                "For privacy," she grinned,"You don't want anyone walking in on us, do you?"

                Tai shrugged his shoulders. "I..ah..it depends..."

                "On what?"

                "On what you're here for..."

                Catherine's grin suddenly turned into a wild look. She leapt across the desk and landed right in Tai's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, while he was trying to break free. "Why are you playing hard to get?" she asked, fluttering her eyebrows at him,"Iz t'is a new game t'at you are trying to play wit' moi? It is a little, how do you say...odd, non?"

                Tai gulped again,"Well, I..ah.."

                Catherine just grinned and slammed her lips into Tai's. Both of them crashed to the floor. 

                Emperor Tai stood above the city, resting on the rooftops. He had been waiting for far too long, his prey should have emerged by now. He was about to move on, when he saw the building door across the street open up. He was surprised to find that his heart was started to beat in anticipation. Ken emerged through the doorway and started walking down the sidewalk. "Yes!" Emperor Tai laughed. He was about to jump down, an attack, when he saw a familiar looking girl with glasses run up to him.

                "Kari?" he asked,"What is she...?" Suddenly, the image of his younger sister in glasses and a blue beret shimmered for a second, and he saw Yolei. The image flashed back to Kari.

                "So, she actually inside someone else's body?" he rubbed his chin,"Does that mean my double is somewhere else too? Hmm..I have no idea we were able to do _that!_ This is quite.. intriguing." He watched as Ken and Kari walked down the sidewalk. "I'll wait until he's alone, then I'll make my move."

                Tai quickly ran out of Davis' office, straightening his jacket. "_Oh Man!"_ he thought, running to the men's room,"_How could _Davis_ have scored with a girl like Catherine? And Catherine always struck me as a nice girl, I had no idea she was like that! She was so professional at the trial. Talk about your 'work' person and your 'play' person. Jeeze!"_

                He made it to the men's room and walked inside. He glanced at his reflection and saw that there were lipstick marks on the left side of his face. He quickly scrubbed them off, then took a deep breath. "Glad that's over."

                He was about to walk out, when the door opened and Veemon walked in. "Davis! Oh good," he panted,"I found you."

                "What?"

                "Catherine's waiting in your office! I think she's...playful, if you get what I mean."

                Tai nodded. "Yeah, I know..."

                "Oh, you went there first," Veemon sighed,"Great, what are you going to do about Mina?"

                "M..Mina?" Tai asked, as an image of the Indian Digidestined flashed through his mind.

                "She's waiting for you in the sick bay," he explained.

                "O..Okay, thanks."

                Veemon nodded. "Sure thing buddy. Listen, I'm going to be in the training room if you need me."

                Tai nodded. Then Veemon walked out. Tai took a deep breath,"I wonder what Mina wants from me? Or Davis, rather?"

                He walked out of the men's room and almost ran into Cody. "Good morning, Davis."

                "Cody!" Tai called,"Listen, I something I want you to do."

                He nodded. "Okay."

                Tai lowered his voice to a whispered."I have reason to believe that someone here is going to plan a murder."

                "A murder?"

                "Shh! Yes, I want you to give me a report on the people that would _most_ want Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya dead, then who would also have the motive and resources to do it."

                Cody nodded. "Okay, I should have it for you tomorrow..."

                Tai shook his head. "No, today."

                Cody nodded again. "I'll get right on it."

                Tai smiled, then sighed. "I've got to go meet Mina in the sick bay..."

                Cody looked at his watch. "Oh, Anna's looking for you too. She's in the kitchen."

                Tai nodded."Thanks." He followed the floor signs until he reached the sick bay. No one was inside, but there were a row of door along the back wall. One of them was closed with a sign on it. It read:Davis, in here. Tai shrugged and opened the door, then gasped. Inside was a typical hospital room, complete with a bed. Mina was lying in the bed, sheets up to her neck. Her clothes were lying on a chair to the side. She flashed a smile. "Davis..."

                Tai gulped."M..Mina, what are you doing?"

                "Waiting for you."

                Tai started to back up out of the room, when Mina just nodded slightly and the door closed and locked. 

                "H..how did you do that?"

                "I'm a mystic, remember?" she grinned. She climbed up onto the bed on all fours. She started to crawl forward. "What do you say we try and get through _two_ pages of the _Kharma Sutra_ today?"

                Tai spun around and tried to force the door open, but Mina tackled him to the ground. 

                "Hi Ken!" Kari called, waving her hands.

                Ken looked and smiled slightly. "Oh, Yolei, good morning."

                Kari ran and stood right beside him. She glanced around, but wasn't able to see Emperor Tai anywhere. She breathed a sigh of relief.

                "Where you expecting someone that you're glad isn't here?" Ken chuckled.

                "No, I mean...um...it's nothing," she smiled,"Are you, ah, going to be heading to the Digital World soon?"

                He shook his head. "No, I have the day off today. Unless there's an emergence, I was just going to relax today."

                Kari nodded. "So, how's your new cat?"

                Ken flashed her a suspicious glance. "How did you know I just got a new cat?"

                She shrugged. "I..uh..I saw the cat hair on your shirt, so I..."

                He looked at his chest and frowned. He started to wipe the fur off. "Yeah, I found her yesterday. She need her shots and everything, but she's doing okay."

                Kari nodded. _"That's good. I was afraid that when I left that cat body last night, she would die. I'm glad that Ken still has his pet."_

                Ken finished cleaning his shirt. He glanced back up, then gave a loud gasp. "What?"

                Kari stopped and looked where Ken was looking. Standing in front of them was the Emperor Tai. "Oh no."

                "Tai?" Ken shouted,"H..How can it be you? W..we killed you."

                Emperor Tai chuckled. "What can I say, I'm more than meets the eye!" He launched forward and knocked Ken into the ground. He quickly hit a specific spot on Ken's neck, knocking him unconscious. He moved so fast that Kari wasn't able to stop him. She did try to prevent Emperor Tai from taking Ken, but it was no use. He easily threw her to the ground.

                "Please," he said,"I don't want to hurt you. Just left me do what I have to, and I promise that you won't be hurt. What I'm doing, isn't evil..."

                "You're hurting how many people, and you don't call that evil?" Kari asked. She jumped up, but Emperor Tai threw her into a pile of garbage cans.

                Emperor Tai just looked at her, then sighed. "Please, don't follow me." Before Kari could get back up, Emperor Tai was already too far ahead for her to reach.

                Tai charged out of the sick bay, pulling her shirt back on. He rounded the corner, but almost ran into a red-headed girl wearing a pair of tight red pants and a thin tank top. "Davis!" she shrieked. Tai shook his head and ran down the other hallway. He spied an open door and dove inside, locking it. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he turned around he found that he was in the kitchen.

                _"Great. Maybe Anna's left already."_

He stood up, but saw the Russian girl was still there. She was standing behind one of the tables, wearing nothing but a whipped cream and chocolate syrup bikini. "Davis!" she grinned.

                "Oh no!" 

                Kari ran into the Digidestined base, peeling a banana peel off of her hair. She ran through the halls and passed Mimi, who was holding a small puppy in her arms. She ignored her and kept running down the halls. She eventually ran into the person she was looking for.

                "Ta-er, Davis!"

                Tai looked up. "Ka..Yolei?" he asked.

                Kari stopped in front of her brother and panted. "Why are you wearing whip cream on your face?"

                Tai crossed his arms. "Why are you covered in garbage?"

                Kari shook her head. "Never mind. Listen, Ken's been kidnapped by the Emperor TAi. We've got to find him."

                "How?" Tai asked,"Do you have any idea where he is?"

                She shook her head. "No, but we've got this entire facility at our command. We should be able to track down one digivice signal."

                Tai sighed. "I hope you know how, because I don't."

                Kari nodded. "I've watched Izzy and Yolei do it hundreds of times back home. We've just got to find the computer room, come on." He ran after her as she lead him down the halls. After checking through a dozen different doorways, they finally reached a room full of computers. Tai closed the door and Kari ran over to one of the terminals. She started typing,"Let's see if I remember this..."

                Tai leaned back against the wall as he watched his younger sister, even though she was in the body of Yolei Inoe. He was amazed at how computer literate she really was. He never had any idea.

                She suddenly stoped typing. "Darn it," she said,"I can't find that program." She sighed, "In this world, they must not have a 'Digidestined Locator," Like they do back home."

                Tai sighed. "Now what?"

                "There is a way to find him."

                Tai smiled when he saw the two fourteen-year-old girls that had entered the computer room. "Sara, Sam, I'm glad you're here."

                Kari looked at the two girls. "What do you mean, there's another way?"

                Sara walked over and placed her hands on Tai's shoulders. "He can."

                "What?"

                "Tai, because you and the Emperor Tai are basically the same person, you should be able to read his mind. You'll be able to find out where he is that way."

                "I..I can read his mind?" Tai asked,"But, how?"

                Sara and Sam forced him into a chair. "Just relax and we will tell you," Sam said, "Close your eyes."

                Tai did as he was told.

                "Now, focus your mind, try to picture your evil self, can you do that?"

                Tai nodded. "Yes, I can see him."

                Sara smiled. "You've got some strong inner powers if you're able to do that so soon."

                Sam continued,"You've got to _feel_ him too. Can you feel his presence, his...aura?"

                Tai hesitated, then nodded. "Yes...yes...I...woah!"

                "What's wrong?" Kari jumped up.

                "I..I'm inside him," Tai smiled,"It's...it's weird. He..he doesn't seem to notice that I'm in his mind."

                "Where is he?" Kari asked.

                "Somewhere...trees...alot of treess...the park! He's in the park!"

                "Is Ken there?" Kari asked.

                Tai nodded. "Yes, I can see him, he's tied to a tree...wait, there's someone else there."

                "Some one else?" all three girls gasped.

                Tai nodded. "Yeah, a witch."

                "A witch?"

                "A girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, wearing a weird black dress, a..a dark hooded cloak, blond hair...in two pigtails on both sides of her head...Wait, she's looking right at me, she...she's raising her palm..."

                "Break away!" Sara shouted,"Break away right now! Now!"

                Tai opened his eyes and started panting. "W..what?"

                "You could have been killed!" Sara shouted,"That girl is extremely dangerous."

                "Who is she?"

                "Alice," Sara sighed.

                "Alice?" Kari asked.

                The blond girl nodded. "Yeah, and Tai's description was very accurate. She is a magic user, and a reality jumper like ourselves. Only because she uses magic to travel between worlds, she's able to keep her own body."

                "So how do you..reality hop?" Tai asked.

                "Ours is an..inborn talent," Sam said,"But we should get to the Emperor Tai before he drains Ichijoji."

                Tai stood up. "Right, let's go!"

                The group used the Digital Gates and quickly returned to Earth. They quickly ran through the city until they reached the park. After they searching, they found the Emperor Tai and Ken in a hidden grove surrounded by tall trees near the center. The four sets of eyes peered through the bushes. Ken was tied to the tree, unconscious,  with the Emperor Tai standing over him. He had his hands crossed in front of him, and was uttering a weird chant.

                "What's the plan?" Kari whispered.

                Tai turned to their two guides. "Do you have any ideas?"

                Sara frowned. "That chant is going to drain Ken's crest powers. We've got to stop him before he takes all of the Crest of Kindness."

                Tai nodded. "Alright, we hit him fast and quick. Now!"

                The quarter tore through the bushes and into the clearing. The Emperor Tai stoped his chant and spun around. "You're here!" he gasped,"Well, I know I shouldn't be surprised." He growled. "I'm warning you, if you interfere, I will kill you."

                "We'll see about that!" Tai said,"By my count, there's four against one."

                "Against two!" a figure shouted as it appeared in a flash of light, a figure in a black cloak.

                "It's...it's you..!" Tai gasped, pointing his finger,"It's you!"

                "Alice!" Sara growled,"What are you doing here?"

                The sorceress laughed. "I can ask you the same question."

                Sara growled."It's obvious that you've been helping the Emperor Tai."

                She crossed her arms,"And what if I am?

                "We're not going to let you steal the power from Ichijoji!" Sam shouted.

                Alice uncrossed her arms. "Tai!" she shouted to the Emperor Tai,"Finish your spell. I will hold them off."

                "A..are you sure?" Emperor Tai asked,"It's four against one."

                Alice smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be more than okay. Ha!" Emperor Tai turned back around and begin to utter his chant.

                "We've got to stop them!" Tai shouted,"Go!"

                The group charged forward, but the witch raised her hands. A dark ball of energy quickly formed in her hands. "What's that?" Tai asked.

                "Get out of the way!" Sara shouted, but it was too late, the quartet was hit by the dark ball and thrown to the ground. 

                Alice laughed. "That was too easy. Ha!"

                The quartet watched from the ground as the Emperor Tai pulled the power of the Crest of Kindness out of Ken. He turned around and grinned at the group. I now have his power! Two down!" He grinned at Alice,"I'm done here."

                The witch nodded. "Allow me." She made an odd set of movements with her hands and a glowing circle appeared. 

                The Emperor Tai nodded. "Thank you. I hope to see you again. He jumped in and the portal vanished. Alice turned to face the injured group. She gave an evil grin, then she herself vanished.

                Tai shut the door to Davis's office as the quartet walked in. "Tell me, how powerful is that Alice girl?"

                Sara took a deep breath."Well, if you had some sort of inborn power, I don't think it would have hurt as much."

                Tai nodded. "So, what you're saying is that we don't have a chance unless we have our digimon with us?"

                Sara and Sam looked at each other, then nodded. "Yeah, just about."

                There was a knock on the door. "Davis, it's Cody. I have that report you wanted."

                Tai ran over and opened the door and snatched the report. "Thanks." Cody glanced inside and saw the three girls. He grinned at Tai, then left.

                Tai walked back inside and opened the manila folder. "Let's see what he gave me....what? No, that..that can't be!"

                "What?" Kari asked.

                Tai looked her straight in the eyes. "According to Cody's report, there was one Digidestined that had the resources and the motive to kill Mom and Dad, but also checking the back accounts, this person wrote two checks for a thousand dollars, and one had been cashed."

                "Payment now and after the kill," Sam gasped,"W..who was it?"

                Tai gulped. "Sora."

                "What?!" all three gasped.

                Tai nodded. "Sora might not be the murder, but she hired him."

                The room was silent. Sara coughed,"Well, it's getting late. Tomorrow we'll try to prevent Sora from making the biggest mistake of her life."

                Tai just nodded. "Sora..."

                Later that night, Tai lay in Davis's bed, staring at the ceiling. "How could Sora do something like that? I don't believe it! Why would she do something?" 

                He sighed, then closed his eyes. "I guess I'll find out tomorrow. Sora, I'm going to save you from yourself. I swear."


	17. Return to Darkness: Part 3

                 Return to Darkness: Part 3:

                When Tai opened his eyes he noticed that the room he was now in was not much different then Davis's room.. He pulled off the covers and examined what he was wearing: a pair of blue pajamas.. He spied a mirror on the desk and glanced at his reflection. "Tk," he sighed,"I'm Tk."

                He was still rather tired, so he stumbled out into the hallway and examined the apartment."This Tk's apartment is just like the one back home. Miss Taka..er..Mom, are you home?"

                "In here, honey."

                He walked into the kitchen as saw Miss Takashi placing a plate of eggs down at the table. "I've got to go into work early today, Tk," she said. She walked over and gave him a small kiss,"I'll see you when I get home. Bye."

                "Bye." He watched her leave, then he saw the food on the table. "Breakfast!" he grinned. He sat down and started eating.

                "What am I going to do? I know that Sora payed someone to murder my mother and father, how am I going to find out who she hired? I suppose I could call her, but..that might seem too awkward. Besides, what am I going to say?"

                He thought for a few more minutes, then decided that it was the best thing to do. He quickly dialed her number, but the voice that picked up the phone was not Sora's. It was very familiar, but it wasn't Sora's. "Kari?"

                "Tai, is that you?" she asked,"Where are you?"

                "I'm at Tk's apartment..er..I guess I _am_ Tk, heh."

                "I'm Sora," Kari said.

                "You are? All right then, listen, I want you to search through her room, try to find anything that might tell us who the murderer is and when the killing is going to take place. Can you do that?"

                "You go it!" Kari said,"I'll get to work right away."

                "I'll be there in a few minutes," Tai said. He hung up the phone and ran back into Tk's room. He threw on a pair of green shorts and a black t-shirt. He wondered where Patamon was, but figured he was probably in the Digital World, which was good. He really didn't have time to explain himself to Tk's partner.

                When he got to the Takenouchi's apartment, Kari opened the door, wearing Sora's tennis uniform. "We've got to hurry," she said,"I've got to be at Sora's tennis practice in about an hour."

                "You can't play tennis," Tai protested.

                "As I recall, you don't know ballet either, but you did okay."

                Tai frowned, remembering the time as his ten-year-old female self. "Let's just hurry."

                Kari lead him into Sora's room, which looked exactly the same as her room in the world they were from. Tai started sorting through Sora's desk, while Kari searched through the closet. They moved in silence for about fifteen minutes before Kari spoke up. "Hey Tai?"

                "Yeah?"

                "Since we're still in this world, do you think the evil Tai has been able to find all of the powers that he needs?"

                "I don't think so," Tai said,"Remember, Sara and Sam said that time continues along the same path in every world. My double was in this world for the past two days along with us, so if he is in another world right now, he'll have to stay there for only a day. And hopefully, we'll find what we need, so we can leave tonight too."

                Kari sighed, as she flipped through boxes on the closet's shelf,"I sure hope so." She found one box that was filled with pictures. As she started looking through them, she called her brother over. "Tai, look at this."

                Tai ran over. Kari was holding up a picture of Sora, Matt, and the Emperor Tai. They were standing outside a music stadium. Matt was in the center, the guitar still hanging around his neck. He had his arm around Sora, and she was grinning wildly. Tai, on the other hand, had a smile on, but it was obvious that it was forced.

                "I wonder what happened when the picture was taken?" Kari said.

                Tai shrugged. "Who knows, Come on, we don't have much time."

                Kari found another picture, this one of the Digidestineds at the beach. This time, however, Tai and Sora were standing together, while Matt was off to the side. Judging by the ages, she figured that this picture must have been taken right after their first adventure in the Digital World. What ever happened to make the Tai of this world in the Digimon Emperor must have happened afterwards.

                "I really wonder where the Evil Tai is," Kari said,"I wonder who he's after this time."

                "Hey," Tai said,"Why don't I try that 'mind-meld' technique?"

                "I don't know Tai, remember what Sara and Sam said?"

                "Yeah, yeah, but, just think about it. I could find out all of his secrets, I could know exactly where he's going, and all that stuff."

                Kari shook her head again,"I really don't..." She glanced at the clock on the wall,"Oh great. I've got to go to tennis practice."

                "All right," Tai said,"I'll stay here.."

                "And what's Mrs. Takenouchi going to say when she sees you in Sora's room alone? We'll have to keep searching later."

                Tai frowned. "All right." He watched as Kari grabbed Sora's tennis bag, then the two of them left the apartment. 

                "I'll call you when I get back," Kari said,"It should only be for a few hours."

                "Sure," Tai said,"Don't worry, I'll keep myself busy."

                "Don't do that mind-meld thing," Kari warned,"Remember how dangerous.."

                "Yeah yeah."

                Once Tai got back to Tk's apartment, he thought about Cody's report, but that was in Davis's office in the Digital World. Besides, he read that inside and out, he couldn't find anything as the the clue of the murderer. He started thinking about the mind-meld, and how he might be able to stop Emperor Tai before any more people were hurt. It was risky, but maybe he could beat his evil double once and for all.

                He walked into Tk's room and laid on the bed. He closed his eyes and pictured his evil double. He concentrated hard and began to feel his presence all around him. He focused on Emperor Tai's mind, his soul. He was now inside of his double's mind.

                He watched through Emperor Tai's mind as he walked through a field of grass until he came to a playground. Emperor Tai quickly hid behind a group of bushes. He glanced over to where a group of young children were busy playing. Good Tai couldn't believe it, it was all of the older Digidestineds! Sora appeared to be around one or two, wearing a diaper and a sleeveless pink shirt. Her red hair was almost in a buzz cut and she was sucking on a pacifier. She waddled over to where a group of five-year-old boys was playing with toy soldiers. Good Tai recognized Joe, who was wearing a pair of white jeans and a matching sweater, and Matt, who had on a pair of jeans and a green shirt, but he could hardly believe who the other boy was, it was Mimi! She, or probably he, was wearing a pair of bagging shorts and a blue t-shirt. Her once long hair was now a curly mess at the top of her head..

                Emperor Tai turned his gaze over to where two girls were playing dolls on a white blanket. One of the girls, who appeared to be Izzy, was wearing a purple jumper with a matching shirt underneath. She had long red hair, which was cover on top by a blue hancker cheif. Most surprisingly was the other girl, that Good Tai determined to be the Tai of this world. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and a pair of red shorts.

                Emperor Tai then turned to where a group of older teenagers, probably 16 or 17 were seated on benches, watching the young kids. Good Tai recognized Kari and Yolei. Kari was dressed in a pair of lose fitting jeans shorts and blue t-shirt. She had a pair of goggles over her brown hair, which was now slightly messy and tangled. Yolei was wearing a pair of brown shorts and a short sleeve red t-shirt. Her long purple hair was now a crew cut red, and she now longer had glasses.  She was carrying a laptop shaped backpack with her. 

                The Emperor Tai kept his gaze on the group for a few minutes longer and Good Tai recognized the others: they were Davis, Tk and Cody! Tk had a mess of blond hair, and had a guitar at his side. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a matching short sleeve shirt. Most surprisingly were Davis and Cody, they were girls!

                Davis now had pink hair that reached his-er, her shoulders. She was wearing a tight fitting blue t-shirt that ended above her bellybutton, a white mini-skirt, and a pair of white boots that reached her knees. 

                Cody, on the other hand, now had red hair that reached her shoulders, and wore a pair of thick glasses. It appeared she was wearing the green school uniform skirt, but had a white sweater over top.

                Good Tai quickly realized that he wasn't in a world that he remembered. Sara told him that the Reality police had closed off all the other worlds except the ones that he visited, so how could Evil Tai be in this world? Then the answer hit him, Sara was wrong. Derwood and the Reality Police had closed off all other worlds except the ones that _he_ had visited, not the Emperor Tai. Sara told him that the Emperor Tai probably took a different path down reality to reach Good Tai's world then Good Tai did to return to it. That means there could be any number of worlds that Emperor Tai was able to travel to without them getting there. 

                Kari stood up. "Tai!" she shouted, in a very deep voice,"It's time to go."

                The Tai of that world gathered up some of her dolls. "Okay, Big Brother, I'm coming." She ran over to Kari, who lead the young girl out of the park. Good Tai then realized that the younger Digidestineds and the older Digidestineds had been reversed in this world, but the older Digidestineds were the younger siblings of the younger group. Tai and Kari had switched, just like Matt and Tk, Yolei and Izzy, Davis and Mimi. Cody must be the older sister of both Sora and Joe, because of his red hair and his glasses. Cody was always the youngest Digidestineds, which meant that Sora was now the baby.

                "Come on, Izzy!" Yolei called,"We've got to get back."

                "Owe, do I hafta?"

                "I'll let you use my laptop!"

                "Yeah!" the younger girl cried. She gather her dolls and left with Yolei. 

                Cody bowed nervously in front of Davis. "I'll see you tomorrow."

                "Bye," Davis waved. Cody walked over and lifted up the baby Sora, then held Joe's hand as they left. Soon, only Mimi and Davis were left.

                Emperor Tai stood up and walked over to the bench. Davis looked up and him, then blushed."H..Hi."

                Emperor Tai grinned. "Hi, mind if I sit down?"

                "No, go right ahead," Davis giggled slightly. Good Tai knew that this wasn't the Davis from his world, but he was having a hard time accepting that.

                Emperor Tai slid over slightly.He mentioned to Mimi. "Your younger sister?"

                Davis looked at him oddly. "He's my younger brother."

                "Oh, sorry. S-he, looks like a girl I use to know."

                "Really?" Davis asked, batting her eyelashes,"Do I remind you of anyone?"

                Good Tai could feel Emperor Tai's uneasiness. Even though he knew that this world's Davis was a girl, he couldn't stand someone he always knew as a guy start to come onto him. He would have to make this quick. "I want to show you something."

                "Really?"

                Emperor Tai reached into his pocket and pulled out a square shaped device. "What's that?" Davis asked, very interested.

                "You'll see," Emperor Tai laughed. He placed the device over Davis's chest, and a beam of white light flowed from the teenage girl and into the device. Good Tai realized that he was stealing the powers of the Crest of Miracles.

                "No!" Good Tai shouted,"Stop it!"

                His field of view suddenly turned into blackness. "What's going on?" he asked.

                "You've been poking your nose into places where it doesn't belong."

                Tai turned his head up and saw Alice floating in the darkness. "What do you want?" he demanded.

                She grinned slightly,"You've caused us quite a bit of trouble, haven't you? If it hadn't of been for you, he might have already succeeded in his goal!"

                "What are you talking about? The Emperor Tai's been one step ahead of us this whole time!"

                Alice chuckled,"I wasn't talking about the one you call, Emperor Tai."

                "What?"

                Alice didn't respond. She just pointed her palm at Tai. "You're through, do you hear me?! You won't bother us any longer!" A massive dark shadow formed behind Alice, it's red eyes glaring at him. When Alice spoke, her voice was now deeper and much more evil. "You don't have any idea whom you're dealing with! Feel my power!"

                A blast of dark energy slammed into Tai's head. He screamed in intense pain, and the world around him was shattered. He was only able to catch a glimpse of photographs zooming towards him from the darkness before he blacked out.

                Kari didn't wait before the elevator door was more than a few inches open before she charged down the hall of the apartment. She didn't even change out of the tennis uniform before she made the run to the building where the Takashi's apartment was. As soon as she returned to Sora's room she started searching again. She found what they were looking for!

                 When she reached the door, she knocked as hard as she could. "Ta..Tk! Tk! It's me, Sora! Are you there?"

                There was no answer, so she used the keys that were on Sora's key chain to unlock the door. The lights were on, so she figured someone was home. "Miss Takashi?" she called, still no answer. She checked through all the rooms until she reached Tk's bedroom. When she opened the door, she almost screamed. "Tai!?" Her older brother was lying on the bed, his eyes rolled back into his head, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, and saliva dripping down his chin. 

                Kari ran over to him and gently started to push him ."Tai..Tai!" She needed to call for help. She was about to run for the phone, but when she turned around, she saw Sara and Sam running through the door.

                "Oh, thankgoodness you two are here," she panted,"Something's wrong with Tai."

                "We know," Sam said, as Sara ran over to examine Tai,"As soon a we felt Tai's energy start to change, we came as fast as we could."

                "Change?" Kari asked.

                "What happened?" Sara demanded,"Were you here when...?"

                Kari shook her head. "No, I was...I found who the murderer is, and.."

                "Never mind that now," Sara sighed, looking at Tai,"We've got a big problem here."

                "What happened to him?" Kari asked.

                "Well, as near as I can figure, his mind, his very self, his soul, has been lost."

                "You mean he's dead?!" Kari shouted.

                Sara shook her head quickly. "No, he's alive, but everything that made him..Tai, has been lost, or more specifically, scattered."

                "Wh..what do you mean?"

                "Something happened to Tai's mind," Sara explained, sitting down in the desk chair,"Something so traumatic that it cause his minds, his self, his soul, to be split apart. Without that essential part of himself, he won't have a..a mind, I guess you could say. I would have to say that he'll just believe himself to be whoever he was last in contact with, that would be Tk."

                "Wait," Kari said,"He was talking about that mind-meld, thing.."

                "Darn it!" Sara shouted, slamming her fist into the desk,"This is why I didn't tell him about it before! I knew he was too reckless, I shouldn't have ever told him about it."

                Kari looked at Sam and Sara,"So..what does this mean?"

                Sara sighed as she glanced at Tai. "It means that his soul was still shattered, but it was shattered inside of the Emperor Tai's mind."

                "So..he'll think he's the Emperor Tai?"

                Sara shook her head,"It means it was lost in a place that is void of physical substance. Even we don't know the power that the mind has. He could very well be lost in Emperor Tai's memories, however, he _was_ Tk in this world, he wasn't Emperor Tai. That means that he's lost somewhere inside of that evil Tai's body, and since we don't have any idea where he could be, the most we can do is just wait, and hope Tai can find his own way back."

                Kari shook her head, and grabbed hold of her brother's hand. "No. Tai! Tai!"

                Tai felt a surge of discomfort pass over him as he slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and saw that he was still in his room. He knew he had a nightmare about something, but couldn't figure out what. He just shrugged, then he remember what day it was, the first day of school!

                He jumped out of bed and ran over to where his clothes were. He quickly pulled on the clothes he had set for himself the night before, and ran into the hallway. He started to knock on his parent's room. "Mom! Mom! Mooooom!"

                "What?" the reply came back.

                "Wake up, I don't wanna be late for school!"

                His mother laughed slightly as she opened the door. "Tai, honney, we have plenty of time."

                "No!" he jumped up and down,"We're gonna be late! We gotta go!"

                Mrs. Kamiya continued to smile,"Don't you want some breakfast?"

                Tai stopped jumping."Can you..make it fast?"

                "Sure can," she said, moving over to the stove,"Why don't you watch some television before breakfast?"

                "Okay!" he called. He walked into the living room and turned the television set on. 

                _"Tai!"_ he heard a voice call his name.

                "Mom? What is it?"

                "I didn't call you, sweetheart."

                He shrugged and went back to watching t.v.

                He felt another twitch of discomfort, and found himself sitting down at a long wooden table with a bunch of other little kids.

                Most of the kids he knew from around the neighborhood, but there was one girl sitting at the end of the table that he didn't know. She had short red hair and was wearing a yellow dress. When it was snack time, he walked over to her. "Hi!"

                She looked up at him nervously. "H..Hi."

                "My name's Tai!"

                "I'm...Sora."

                "Sora, that's a funny name!"

                "_Tai! Listen to me!"_

                She looked back up at him. "No its' not!" she pouted. She started to cry. Another boy came over and looked at Tai.

                "What did you do ta' her?"

                "I didn' do anythin'!"

                "Matt! Tai!" the teacher shouted. The two boys flinched and turned to her. "What did you do to Sora?"

                "He hurt her!" Matt said, pointing to Tai.

                "Did not!"

                "_Tai! You've got to come back!"_

                Another twitch of discomfort, and Tai was now much older. He was running down a soccer field with the ball in front of him. He spied the goal net, but he heard Sora's voice from beside him. "Pass me the ball, Tai!" she shouted,"I'm open!"

                "No way!" Tai said to himself,"This is all mine!" He was about to kick the ball into the net, but a player on the other team easily stole the ball from him and charged the other way.

                "Nice job, Tai!" Sora said, sarcastically,"I could have made the pass you know!"

                Tai frowned. _"I just wanted to impress you,"_ he thought,"_I screw up at everything."_

                "_Tai! Please, it's Kari!"_

                Another twitch, and Tai was once again in the Digital World, battling against Piedmon. The evil clown attacked by firing his Clown Trick at Wargreymon. Tai was hit also, and thrown to the ground. He heard Izzy and Kari call out to him, but he felt himself start to slip away. He fully awoke again when he heard Sora's voice call out. _"Sora!_ he thought,"_She's here."_

                He managed to flip onto his stomach, and saw Sora, but she was riding on Garurumon with Matt. Her hands were tightly wrapped around the other boy's chest. "W..what?" 

                 They both helped Tai to his feet, while Garurumon digivolved to Metalgarurumon. "Don't worry, Tai," Matt said,"We'll beat him together."

                "Yeah, together." he said. Secretly, his mind was starting to develop hate for Matt Ishida. He could have beaten Piedmon, but he had to show up to steal the show away from him.

                "_Tai! We're running out of time!"_

                Another twitch, and Tai was outside of the middle school. He saw Sora walk down the stairs. "Hey, Sora!" he waved.

                "Oh, hi Tai, what's up?"

                "Oh, well, Sora, I was wondering if you were going to the dance with anyone?"

                "No, I want to be available in case Matt is free afterwards."

                Tai's entire world fell apart. He could feel his heart breaking in two. "Oh..Matt, huh?"

                Sora nodded, keeping her gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry Tai, but.."

                "N.No, it's all right. Have fun with him, okay? Bye Sora." He quickly ran off.

                Another twitch, and he was standing in front of Izzy, who had a camera pointed at them. He turned and saw Matt with his arm around Sora. That blond jerk stole him away from her, without Sora, he had nothing, no way to ease the pain. Nothing.

                After the picture was taken, he derided to go back home. He sat in his room for a long time, before glancing at his digivice. It hadn't worked since the day that he came back to Earth, but decided to try it anyway. 

                He held it up to the screen and the Digi-Port opened. 

                _"Tai, the murder is going to happen tonight!"_

                Another twitch and he was standing in front of an army of digimon, all wearing dark rings around their arms. "This is it!" he laughed to himself,"This is the day that strike back! Being a Digidestineds caused me nothing but pain! Kari's dead, Sora's in love with Matt! Well, I'll show this entire world who I really am! Army of Darkness, attack and destroy the Digital World!"

                The Digimon began to march of the tunnel, while Tai laughed to himself as she sat on his throne. "This will all be mine! Then Matt and Sora will both learn, they'll both learn."

                Another twitch, and the Digidestineds were assembled in front of Tai. "It's over, Digimon emperor!" Matt shouted,"I don't care who you are, I'm going to stop you now!"

                "Ha!" Tai laughed, jumping off of his throne,"You can't stop me! I am the Digimon Emperor!"

                Matt punched Tai square in the nose. He stumbled backwards, then Matt punched him again, this time in the stomach. Tai found himself on the floor in front of his throne. "Give up yet, Tai?" he asked.

                "Never!" he shouted. He swung his legs around to know Matt onto his side. He grabbed a dagger from inside of his cape. "No, Matt, I will finally have revenge!" He slashed the dagger down and cut open Matt's throat.

                "Matt!" Sora screamed as th other Digidestineds tackled Tai to the ground. Sora knelt beside him. "Matt."

                He just reached up and grabbed her hand tightly before she felt it go limp. "Matt!"

                _"Tai! Tai!"_

                Another twitch and Tai was inside of his cell, writing in a notebook. "Night is the best time. A possible mixture of truth serum with ancient incantations will allow a soul to pass through reality barriers."

                _"Tai! Tai! Tai!"_

                Another twitch, and Tai was lying on his bed, waiting until the clock struck midnight. Once it did, he held up a small vial of a bluish liquid. "Down the hatch," he said to himself and he drank.

                "_Tai! You've got to wake up! Please, Tai!"_

                Tai slowly opened his eyes and saw Kari, Sara and Sam staring at him. "H..hey, guys. Kari, you did you keep calling me?"

                "Tai, you're back!" Kari cried, wrapping her arms around him,"I was so worried about you!"

                "W..what happened?" he asked.

                "You tried that mind-meld, after I specifically told you not to!" Sara shouted,"Now do you see you dangerous it could have been? If it wasn't for Kari, you might not have found your way back!"

                Tai looked over at his sister. "Thank you."

                She returned the smile. "No problem, I'm just glad to have you back. Listen, we've got to hurry, the murder, it's going to happen!"

                "When?" he asked, jumping out of the bed,"Who?"

                "I found everything in a safe in the back of Sora's closet," Kari explained,"It was a set of letters from Sora to the murderer."

                "Who?" Tai asked,"Who's the murderer?"

                Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya walked into their apartment. "What a day," Mr. Kamiya said, wiping his forehead,"I hate busy days at work."

                Mrs. Kamiya smiled slightly as she walked over to the refrigerator. "What would you like for dinner tonight?"

                "Oh, I don't know, whatever," he sighed as sat down on the couch in the living room. 

                His wife started to gather food out of the refrigerator,"I hope you like stew."

                As the couple continued on their daily lives, they were totally unaware of a dark figure lurking in the closet. Mr. Kamiya got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, where he found his wife was crying. "What's wrong?"

                "Oh," she snifflied,"It's these onions, you know, they really..."

                Mr. Kamiya hugged her. "It's all right, I miss them too."

                "But...but Tai was a murderer! Is it...is it right to miss someone like that?"

                "He's our son, of course we'll miss him."

                The figure slowly crept out of the closet. "You'll soon be there to see him," it whispered. It slowly moved behind the couple, who were lost lost in their own grief, that they did not hear the assassins approach. The figure got ready to strike...

                The door suddenly flung open and Tai, Kari, Sara, and Sam ran inside. The Kamiyas jumped slightly, but the group was more concerned with who was behind them. "Agumon!" Tai shouted,"Don't do it!"

                The small dinosaur gave no resistance as Tai, Sara and Sam tackled him to the ground. However, he did stare up at Kari,"You! You turned me in? Well, if you think I'm going to keep quiet, guess again! You hired me, and everyone's going to know it!"

                "Why?" Tai asked, trying not to cry,"Why did you do it, Agumon?"

                "That was all Tai left to me, hate and anger. I trusted him, and he placed that...that black ring on my shoulder. This is how I get back at him."

                Tai watched as Sara and Sam lead Agumon away. He turned to Kari and whispered,"I'd better bring you in too."

                She nodded, and put her hands behind her back. Tai handcuffed her, then lead her out the door. He walked over to where Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya were huddling each other. "I..I'll tell Davis to send some counselors over."

                Mrs. Kamiya was sobbing loudly, but Mr. Kamiya just nodded. "Yeah, t..thanks."

                Tai wanted to comfort them, but it probably wasn't going to be a good idea. He bowed slightly, then left. There were tears in his eyes when he heard his mother's sobs.

                Later that night, Tai was lying in Tk's bed, staring up at the ceiling. He thought of Kari, who was now inside of a cell in the Digidestined prison. Sara and Sam told him that as soon as she fell asleep, she would move worlds with him. So he wasn't worried about her.

                He thought of Sora and Agumon, who both wanted revenge on the Emperor Tai so badly, that they were ready to kill Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. As far as they knew, Emperor Tai was dead, so they would have killed them just out of hate. Well, they both were going to have plenty of time to think about it. 

                He and Kari were finally going to leave this world and get on with their mission, and after they captured the Emperor Tai, it would be time to go home. He couldn't wait.

                He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.


	18. Twice Two

Chapter 18

                Twice Two

                When Tai opened his eyes, he saw that his room was divided in half, one side pink and the other side blue. He turned to the right and saw another bed like the one he was in, with a little girl sleeping inside. "This is the world where Kari and I are twins," he smiled slightly. He jumped off of the bed and walked over to the girl. "Kari, Kari, wake up!"

                The young girl slowly woke up and smiled. "Good morning Tai."

                "Hi, Kari."

                "What can you tell me about this world?"

                "Well, we're twins."

                "We're twins?" she smiled,"Wow, that's..different."

                Their door opened a second later and their mother poked her head inside. "Oh, you guys are awake, good. Hurry up and get dressed, you don't want to be late again."

                The twins looked at each other then back at their mother. "Uh, sure," Tai said. Mrs. Kamiya smiled, then left.

                Tai turned to Kari. "Come on, let's hurry up."

                The two children quickly dressed and walked into the kitchen. Tai had been in this world before, but it was a shock to Kari. She always had to be the 'baby,' but now neither Tai nor her were the 'baby' everything was exactly the same.  

                Tai climbed into the chair, while Kari climbed into her's. "What are you smiling about?" he asked.

                "Oh, nothing," she giggled.

                Tai eyed her strangely, but started eating anyway.

                Emperor Tai hid in the shadows of the alley, watching the people walk by until he found the one he was searching for, Jou Kido, or rather, the Jou Kido of this world. He was a eight year old version of the Jou that Emperor Tai knew from his world. Since he was more than double his size evil Tai was grabbed Jou by the collar and yanked him into the alley. Jou stared up at the evil figure in front of him. The Evil Tai knew that the people on the sidewalk saw his abduction of Joe, so he had to be quick. 

                He held a device over the frightened boy. "I won't kill you, I just need something you have." 

                A glowing light flowed up from Joe and into the device. "Reliability is down, only a few more to go."

                Tai and Kari stood in front of their building with their mother waiting until a blue van pull along side the curb. The passenger door opened and an adult Sora with long hair walked out. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

                Tai and Kari climbed past Sora's two children and into the back seat of the van. He looked at the driver of the van and saw Matt smiling at them. "Hey, guys, how's it going?"

                "Fine, thank you," Kari said quickly, remembering to be polite. After the car started driving, she turned to Tai. "Matt and Sora?" she whispered.

                Tai nodded. "Yeah, in this world they're a couple."

                "Wow, I bet you glad that this isn't our world, huh?"

                "You have no idea," he mumbled.

                The school day moved rather quickly. Although Tai was disappointed that Sam was not his teacher again, he was happy that for once he knew exactly what the teacher was talking about. The two twins were so focused on their school work, they failed to notice the five-year-old Derwood staring at them from the back of the room.

                After school, Sora picked them up again and drove the twins, along with her own children, to the park to play for awhile. Arake, her daughter, was playing with Kari, but Tai guessed that he and Sora's son, Matsudo, didn't get along very well. Sora's son was playing by himself, so Tai decided to walk around on his own.

                He started walking through the trees of the park before he found that he was pretty far from the playground. Sora was going to be looking for him soon. He started to head back, when he heard a rustling noise from the bushes. He walked over to look, when a group of young men jumped out and quickly tackled him to the ground. They held his arms and legs and tied a cloth around his mouth to keep him from screaming for help. Tai gasped to himself as Derwood appeared.

                "Well, Tai, it seems that we've finally caught you."

                Tai tried to break free, but it wasn't any use. He was their prisoner. 

                Derwood chuckled as he pointed his watch at the sky. A second later, a glowing portal appeared. The Reality Police threw Tai inside, then followed.

                Matt said goodbye to his fellow office workers and made his way to the elevator. It was Friday afternoon, and he had two days off. It seemed like this week had gone forever.

                When the elevator doors open, he saw that it was empty, except for a teenager who was standing near the back. Matt nodded slightly to him, then pressed the button for his floor. The doors closed, and the elevator started to move again.

                Suddenly, the teenager leapt over to the control box and yanked it out. The elevator suddenly stopped. Matt turned to him, but the teenager slammed him into the floor. He held a device out over him, and white light flowed into the mechanical device.

                Emperor Tai laughed."Friendship is gone, only a few more left."

                "Don't get cocky."

                He turned around and saw that Alice was leaning back against the wall of the elevator. "What are you doing here?"

                The blond witch smiled. "Just making sure that you're proceeding on schedule."

                "Schedule?" he asked,"Since when am I on a schedule?"

                She crossed her arms. "Wasn't it I who told you how to find the reality to escape from your trial? And who do you think sent you that e-mail telling you to gather the energy from the Crests?"

                "_I_ figured that out!" Emperor Tai protested.

                Alice grinned,"But I told you that at the most, two crest can be taken from one reality. Any more, and the fabric of that world's Digiworld would be torn apart. You never would have figured that out on your own, would you?"

                Emperor Tai frowned. "Just help me out of here."

                She chuckled. She said a few magic words, and a glowing circle appeared."After you."

                Back at the playground, Kari noticed a beeping noise coming from her pocket. Arake had gone to the bathroom, so she pulled Sam's device out of her pocket. The small computer was flashing two dots, one Kari assumed to be the rip in reality that she had to close, so what was the other one? She was going to ask Tai, but suddenly found that he wasn't there. She remembered he walked towards the woods, but why wasn't he back yet?

                She looked over to Sora only to see that she was talking to a woman about her age, with long purple hair and wearing a business suit "Hi, Yolei, what have you been up to?"

                She shrugged. "Oh, you know, the usual. Being a business executive isn't easy. You're lucky you're a fashion designer. "

                Sora was about to protest, when her cell phone rang. She answered it, but suddenly seemed really upset. She hung up and looked at Yolei,"Matt's just been attacked in his office!"

                "What?"

                "Yeah, and Joe was hurt this morning. Davis thinks they might be after Digidestineds. I'm going to take Arake and Matsuto to the hospital with me, can you look after Tai and Kari? Their parents will be home soon."

                Yolei nodded. "Sure."

                "Just watch yourself," Sora said,"Whoever this is, may come after you and your Crest of Light."

                "You too." 

                Kari waited until Sora called Arake and Matsuto over. Once Yolei and Sora had their backs turned, she ran deeper into the woods. 

                "I bet Tai's where ever this other signal is coming from," she said,"But, why does Yolei have my Crest of Light? I must not be a Digidestined in this world, or do I have another crest?"

                She ran around the corner and almost ran into a young woman with brown hair with a five year old blond girl. Both of these people, Kari instantly recognized. "Sara and Sam!"

                The five-year-old Sara smiled at her. "Hi, Kari, where's Tai?"

                "I don't know. He just disappeared, but look at the device. It says there are two rips in reality. What does that mean?"

                Sara and Sam looked at each other. "I think it means that someone else is here."

                "Someone else?" Kari asked,"You mean like Derwood or Alice? But, we never received another signal before."

                Sam sighed,"It's a trap. Whoever it is, he or she wants us to follow."

                "What do we do?"

                "They've got Tai," Sara said,"We've got to follow." She held up her hand and a small glow appeared. When it faded, three Nintendo Zapper style guns had appeared. She threw one to Kari. "You'll need that."

                Kari just stared at her. "How did you do that?"

                Sam smiled slightly."We just brought these from our base. We really don't have time to explain right now."

                "Right." Kari lead the group to the section of the park where Tai disappeared to. They found the rip-a small glowing circle. When they approached, the portal opened even wider.

                "We've got to go in fast," Sara said,"Are you ready?"

                Kari nodded."Let's go."

                The trio jumped inside and found themselves in a dungeon filled with torture devices.  An unconscious, Five-year-old Tai was strapped to the wall, and a group of five Reality Policemen were surrounding him, and Derwood himself was standing next to Tai on a ledge.

                "The Reality Police," Sara sneered,"I should have known."

                Derwood shouted with anger. "What are you doing here? No!" He turned to the policemen in front of him,"Get them! Get them now!"

                The trio of girls jumped behind a rack and started firing red bolts at the Reality Policeman. They jumped behind a row of large metal boxes and started firing back. Sam mentioned to Derwood. "He seems to be in a bad mood today, doesn't he?"

                The captain of the Reality policeman turned to a row of buttons and knobs on the wall beside Tai. "I am going to complete what we started, and seal the rest of the realities for him. He'll have no where to go, and I'll have won!"

                "We've got to stop him," Sara shouted over the roar of the fire fight,"If he succeeds, Tai would be stuck in this world, and when nightfall comes, he won't have a body!"

                Kari turned to her. "You mean, he'll be..."

                Sara nodded."Yes."

                Kari felt an anger and desperation rise up in her. "We've got to stop Derwood!" 

                Sara and Sam nodded. "We'll cover you, go."

                Kari moved to the edge of the rack, then turned to Sara and Sam. The two girls began to fire at an incredible rate. They managed to knock three of the five into unconsciousness.  The other policemen were too busy to cover themselves to spare to attack Kari. She ran over and placed her zapper firmly against Derwood's back. "Stop now!" she shouted. 

                Derwood's hand went up into the air. "Go ahead, kill me. It won't change anything. There will be someone else to take my place, someone else to capture you. If you let me finish this job, then it will be over."

                "But Tai will be dead!" she shouted,"I won't ever make a choice like that!"

                Derwood quickly spun around, but found that Sara and Sam had joined Kari. All of his policemen were gone, he was alone. He stared at the three girls,"Well, kill me and get it over with."

                Sam was about to, but Kari shook her head. "Let him go, don't kill him. It's bad enough what you did to those policemen, please, no more."

                Sam turned to Sara, who just nodded slightly. The blond girl turned back to Derwood. "Get out of this world, now, before we change our minds."

                Derwood growled, but ran out of the glowing circle. The girls pulled Tai down from the wall. "Tai?" Kari asked, lightly shaking him,"Tai!"

                He slowly opened his eyes. "K..Kari, what happened?"

                They pulled him to his feet and they exited through the portal. 

                They found themselves back at the park. While Sara explained to Tai what happened, Sam and Kari closed the portal. "Now, we've just got to get to the reality rip, and we'll be home free."

                The foursome started running through the park, following the signal from Kari's device. "So," Tai asked,"What has been happening with my evil twin?"

                Sara looked to the ground. "He has struck again. He has taken the powers from Jou and Matt of this world."

                "That's why Sora went to the hospital," Kari said,"Because Matt was hurt. Hey, I found it."

                The reality rip was a small glowing disc on the ground by the forest. Kari quickly closed it, then wiped her fore head. "I'm glad that's over with."

                The foursome heard Yolei calling for them. Sara and Sam turned to the twins. "Well, we'll see you next time," Sam waved. The two girls ran deeper into the park and disappeared.

                Derwood stood in an office room, staring at a cloaked figure behind the desk. "So, you have failed again."

                "I am sorry, sir, I will succeed next time."

                The figure growled. "You have failed too many times!" He stood up and walked over to him,"I taught you everything you know. I trained you, and you have failed me miserably."

                Derwood straightened. "Sir, I must ask, why are we spending so much time searching for this particular Tai Kamiya, when this..'Emperor' Tai is far more dangerous?"

                The figure glared at him. "You dare question me? I founded the Reality Policemen, I am your master! Never forget that."

                Derwood bowed,"Yes, sir."

                "Your time is up, prepare for your punishment."

                Back at their apartment, the twins received a lecture about running from babysitters and disappearing on their own. Mrs. Kamiya was furious with them for having to make Yolei look for them. All Tai and Kari could do was apologize. As a punishment, they were sent to bed early, without any desert.

                As the two of them lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Kari spoke to Tai. "I almost did it."

                "What?"

                "I almost killed Derwood to save you," she shivered,"I don't ever want to have to feel like that again."

                Tai nodded. "Kari, I never told you this, but..."

                "What?"

                "I felt that way when Myotismon almost killed you. I felt that way when Wizardmon died for you. I wanted to kill Myotismon with my bare hands for what he did." He sighed,"But I didn't, I had to remember to fight out of justice, to save lives, not to kill because of revenge."

                Kari smiled. "I'll remember that, thanks Tai." She yawned. "Good night Tai."

                Tai smiled. "Good night."


	19. REALITY

                Chapter 19:

                REALITY

                Tai awoke when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He glanced around and found that he was lying at the end of a bed, but everything was oddly out of proportion. He glanced at himself and found that he was once again his Digimon alter-ego, Taimon. He turned his head around to look to the head of the bed. Kari was there, sleeping peacefully, she had kicked him, that was the sharp pain he felt. 

                He got to his feet and walked up to Kari's head. "Kari," he said,"Kari." She didn't move. He slightly pushed her with his paw." Kari!"

                The girl opened her eyes and stared at Tai for a second before giving a small yelp. "Tai! You're a digimon!"

                He nodded. "Yeah, I know."

                She stared at him for a long time. "Can you digivolve?"

                He opened his mouth, but hesitated. "I don't know. I guess."

                Kari climbed out of bed and walked over to the mirror on the side of the door. She smiled. "I'm normal, I mean, I look like I do back home."

                Tai followed her out of the room and into the kitchen. Kari walked over to their parent's room. "Mom!" she called,"Dad!" There was no answer. "I guess they're not home."

                Tai pointed to a note on the refrigerator. "What does that say?"

                Kari walked over and read the note. "It looks like they left for work early. We're on our own."

                Tai sighed. "Now what do we do? I'm not eating cat food."

                Kari giggled. "Hey, I can cook, you know."

                "You can?"

                She put her hands on her hips. "That's not funny."

                "I'm going to watch t.v. Call me when breakfast's ready." Tai turned around and walked into the living room. He grabbed the remote and clicked the television on. What he saw was an image of Derwood, tied up with thick chains, floating through a sea of glowing lights. "Kamiya!" he moaned,"Kamiya, help me...please..."

                Tai ran over to the television. "Derwood, what's...?"

                "Help me, please..." The image changed to static. The computer suddenly turned on and a page printed out a paper. He ran over and glanced at it; there was a set of numbers that he didn't understand, but Sam and Sara might.

                He grabbed the paper and ran back into the kitchen. "Kari!"

                Emperor Tai opened his eyes as he felt himself land on the building roof. He glanced at the city before him, this city looked exactly like the one he remembered, but he knew it was different. Small differences that would exist only between worlds, but enough to tell Tai that he was not home. 

                He sighed. "Only a few more, just a few more crests to take, then the Ultimate Reality will be mine! The reality where dreams come true." He looked to the sky,"Then I'll bring you back, I'll bring you both back! I swear it!"

                Back at the Kamiya's apartment, Kari was looking at the sheet of paper that had printed from the computer. "I don't have any idea what it means."

                "I know," Tai said,"Sam and Sara would know, I bet."

                "But how do we contact them?" Kari asked. "Maybe the other Digidestined can?"

                "It's not like the Emperor Tai world," Tai said,"This world's Digidestined aren't the same kind of military organization that they were. We can't just sneak and use a computer to track something like this."

                Kari sighed. "I guess we'll just have to tell them the truth."

                "I don't know about that," he said,"It might be too weird for them. Heck, I'm going through it and it's too weird for me!"

                "Are you sure? What are we suppose to tell them? We're looking for someone that travels through dimensions, but we can't tell you why?"

                Tai sighed. "I guess you're right. This is going to be weird."

                His remark was a total understatement. The Digidestined didn't believe them at all. "Cut it out, Kari," Davis sighed.

                "Yeah," Yolei said,"This really isn't funny."

                "We're not lying!" Kari protested.

                "Yeah," Tai said,"Why would we lie about something like that?"

                The other Digidestined stared at Kari, then at her partner, the one they knew as Taimon. "No," Tk shook his head,"You're tricking us."

                "Why would we?" they both said at the same time.

                The digidestined and the digimon stared at her and Taimon for a few more seconds before they looked at each other. "Well, do we believe them?" Cody asked.

                Davis looked at Yolei,"Is there any way you can find the girls that they're looking for?"

                Yolei shook her head. "I don't have any idea where to start."

                Kari reached into her pocket and pulled out Sam's device. "They gave us this. Can you use it?"

                Yolei took it and started to examine it. "I'll see what I can do."

                Kari and Tai spent the next few hours by themselves because the other Digidestined and their digimon were all avoiding them. Apparently, Sam's device was enough to prove that they were telling the truth.

                They were waiting in the Inoe's living room when the other Digidestined came out of her room. "Okay," Yolei said,"I did some investigating on that device. I couldn't find any way to find the two girls you are looking for, but I did find a weird program inside. It looked like a program that you can find a signal with. I entered the numbers from that paper, and I got a location."

                "Really?" Tai asked, jumping off of the couch.

                "Yeah, it's just down town."

                "Tai and I are going," Kari said, walking to the door with her brother,"Thank you for helping us."

                "Wait," Tk said,"We'll go with you."

                "Are you sure?" Tai asked,"We don't know what we're going to find there."

                "Hey," Davis said,"If we're anything like the kids from your world, then you know we're use to danger."

                "Oh brother," Yolei sighed,"Can he be any more arrogant?"

                Outside the apartment building, the Emperor Tai watched as the Digidestined exited. "I'll have you soon, One more crest to add to my collection."

                Yolei lead the Digidestined through the streets and alleys until they reached a warehouse that Cody said had been abandoned for years. When they entered, they were surprised to find a brown-haired teenage girl waiting inside. At her feet was a dog digimon, covered in yellow fur.

                "Sara, Sam!" Kari shouted,"You guys are here!"

                "The two frowned at them. "They don't seem happy to see you," Patamon said.

                "We're not," Sara sighed,"We were about to enter a place that no 'stationary being in reality' should see."

                She turned to the others. "Greeting Digidestined. I know you don't remember us, but when we last met you knew us as the Digimon Empress and Saramon."

                "What?"

                "It's complicated," Sam explained,"We 'took over' Ken and Wormmon's position when Kari and Tai visited this world before. Only we erased your memories."

                "Derwood sent me something," Tai interrupted.

                "He did?" Sam asked, glancing at Sara.

                "That doesn't matter, "Sara sighed,"You still shouldn't be here, but since I know no matter how many times I tell you not to come, you're going to try and come anyway. Sam.."

                The human girl nodded. "Right. Kari, I need the device I gave you."

                "Uh, sure." She pulled out Sam's device and returned it to her. The other girl pushed a set of buttons on it and a glowing circle appeared.

                "What's that?" Veemon asked.

                "It's a gate," Tai answered,"But, where does it go?"

                "To the space between worlds where the Reality Police station is located."

                "What?" Tai and Kari shouted.

                "Yes, now you can understand why I didn't want any of you going there, but I know there'd be no stopping you."

                "Why not erase our memories again?" Tk huffed.

                "Because we may need your help after all," Sara said. She turned back to the glowing circle,"And be prepared for anything on the other side."

                Everyone nodded. "Right."

                Sara and Sam took deep breathes, then jumped in. The others soon followed, leaving the warehouse empty. Or so they thought.

                Emperor Tai stepped out of the shadows and stared at the circle. "Well, my prey, I'd be a fool to step into a Reality Police Station. I'll get you next world."

                On the other side of the gate, the Digidestined found themselves in a room that was, surprisingly, empty.

                "We're not in a closet or something , are we?" Davis asked.

                "I don't understand this, "Sara gasped, standing up,"Where are all of the policemen?"

                Cody mentioned to the door,"Why don't we check through there?"

                "Good idea," Yolei responded. She walked over and opened the door a crack.

                "What's going on?" Sara asked.

                "Some guy's trapped in a glass cylinder."

                "Is there anyone else there?"

                "Nah, just him."

                "What are we waiting for then?" Tai asked. He flung the door open and walked inside. The others soon followed. Tai was staring at the trapped figure. "Derwood, it is you."

                The others Digidestined were being more cautious as they walked through the room. Tai just ran over to the glass and pressed his paw against it.

                Alarms started blasting through the room as Reality Policeman charged inside. The good guys gasped as they noticed that every single cop had a Digimon partner.

                "They're all Digidestined?" Yolei gasped.

                A new figure stepped into the room. When he did, all of the policemen saluted him. This figure turned to face the others. "Tai, Kari, I know you don't know who I am, but I've been watching you for quite some time. Please, you can call me Yamaki."

                Emperor Tai walked onto the soccer field, trying not to bring attention to himself. He saw all of the older Digidestined watching the soccer game. He silently walked over to the blenchers and watched them from the corner of his eyes.

                They were all like the ones he remembered, for the most part. Since the Tai of this world was a digimon, Matt was now the leader, even complete with a pair of goggles on his head. Izzy and Joe were almost complete opposites, they were now the school's best soccer players. Sora was there also, this time as the captain of the cheerleading team, and was now wearing an extremely tight shirt and short skirt. Mimi was there to, the typical stereotype of a nerd, with her hair badly combed, and a very uncoordinated color outfit.

                Emperor Tai hid underneath the bleachers until Izzy walked away from the others to get some snacks. He quietly walked behind him until he rounded the corner of the building where there were no people around. He knocked his wrist into the back of Izzy's head, throwing him to the ground. Emperor Tai grinned as he pulled the Crest of Knowledge from him. "I'm so close, I can almost taste it!"

                Back inside of the Reality Police Station, Derwood stared from his glass cylinder as the Digidestined were surrounded by the policemen. Yamaki glanced at Sara and Sam. "So, you are now calling yourselves, Sara and Sam, right?"

                The two girls glared up at him. "You're behind the Reality Police? You were a force _against _the evil digimon, how could...?"

                "Every man has his price," Yamaki answered,"And my employer found it."

                "Who? Who is your employer?"

                "That..I'm afraid must be silent for now."

                Derwood shouted to them. "Kamiya! Behind me, the machine!"

                Everyone looked behind him to a massive machine with glowing buttons and monitors. "What is that?" Kari asked.

                "REALITY!" Derwood shouted,"The computer core of the Reality Police! That is REALITY! Destroy it!"

                "You traitor!" Yamaki shouted, pointing at Derwood.

                "You betrayed me!" he shouted back.

                Sara turned to the Digidestined behind them. "Keep the policemen busy, we'll go after REALITY!"

                "Right!" Davis nodded,"Digivolve!"

                "Veemon digivolve to Exveemon."

                "Hawkmon digivolve to Aquillamon."

                "Armadillomon digivolve to Ankylomon."

                While they started fighting the Reality Policemen, Tai turned to Sara. "Hey, can we digivolve?"

                "Yeah, and we'd better do it while we can."

                Tai turned to Kari. "This is going to be weird."

                "I know. Let's just hurry up, then we can go."

                "Taimon digivolve to Saber Leomon!"

                "Saramon digivolve to Metalgarurumon!"

                Tai looked at his new form, very impressed. "Wow, I like this body!"

                "Tai!" Sara growled,"We've got to stop REALITY."

                "Right, let's go."

                The two mega digimon charged at the machine, but were stopped when Yamaki jumped in front of them. He leapt at Sara and punched her in the face. She flipped over backwards. Before he could attack her further, Tai grabbed him with his mouth and flung him into the far wall.

                Sara thanked him, then Tai pushed his paw through the glass cylinder, freeing Derwood. He then turned to face REALITY with Sara. He fired a stream of needles from his mane while Sara fired all of her missiles at once. The two attacks hit REALITY and caused it to explode with a defining sound.

                "We've got to get out of here!" Yamaki shouted,"Retreat!" The Reality Policemen quickly ran from the room.

                Tai grabbed Derwood while the Digidestined ran back through the door they came out of and jumped into the gate. They landed back in the warehouse. While the Digimon de-digivolved to their previous forms, Sara closed the gate.

                Derwood bowed to Tai. "Thank you for rescuing me."

                "You can thank us by telling us who Yamaki's boss is," Sam said.

                "I'm sorry, I don't know. Thank you for rescuing me, we might meet again."

                "You're leaving?" Kari asked,"But.."

                Derwood shook his head. "I know you really don't want me around, so I won't bother you again. Farewell."

                He walked over to the wall of the warehouse and made a gate open by using his watch. He jumped through and the gate closed.

                "He's gone," Sara sighed,"We could have learned so much from him."

                "Wait a minute," Kari said,"We've still got to close that gate of this world, right? Sam, can I have the device back?"

                "Sure," the brown-haired girl said. She handed Kari the device again,"Let's find that thing so we can relax for the rest of the day."

                After they closed the rip in this reality, Kari and Tai did relax for the rest of the day until it was time for bed. While Kari was buried under the covers, Tai rested at the foot of her bed. "Only a few more worlds," he smiled.

                "Yeah, but does that mean that our adventure is over? Or do we have to fight who is behind Yamaki?"

                "I..I don't know. I'll have to ask Sara in the next world." He yawned,"Good night."

                "Good night."

                In the ruins of the Reality Police Station, Yamaki stood in front of the destroyed REALITY. "It's going to take us years to rebuild! We may never do it! I'm going to kill Kamiya with my bare hands."

                "Easy, old man, remember your blood pressure."

                Yamaki twirled around to glared at the girl who just insulted him. "What do you mean 'old man'? Huh, Alice?"

                The blond girl grinned. "Let's face it, you're old enough to be my grandfather."

                "Why you little..!"

                "That's enough you two!" a new voice shouted. Alice and Yamaki both bowed as another figure walked inside. "Yamaki, because of your incompetence, the Reality Police are gone! That was a very good resource to me. Kamiya is going to pay dearly for this!"

to be continued....


	20. Agents of Evil

                Chapter 20:

                Agents of Evil

                Tai woke when he heard the alarm blasting in his ears. He instinctively reached over and turned it off, then stared up at the ceiling. There were only two worlds left: the one where he was a teenage girl and the one where he was Sora's son. He took a deep breath and looked around at his room. It definitely belonged to a ten-year-old boy. 

                He let out a sigh, then climbed out of his bed and started to walk to the door.. As he did, he tripped over something lying on the floor. When he turned to look at it, he gasped. "Agumon? No, that can't be Agumon, he's all white.

                The white dinosaur's eyes opened and stared at him. "Tai, is that you?"

                He nodded. "Yeah..."

                The dinosaur sighed. "It's Kari!"

                "Kari?!"

                She nodded. "Yeah, but I guess I'm Karimon now, huh?"

                Tai got up and looked at her. "Um, are you a girl, right?"

                She blushed slightly. "I think so, why?"

                "Just wondering. Come on, let's see what my mother is making for breakfast."

                Kari got up and brushed herself off. "I bet it's some kind of Tofu recipe."

                Tai chuckled slightly. "Um, well, you're going to get a shock when you see her."

                "Why?"

                Tai didn't answer as they walked down the hall and into the kitchen. A red haired woman was standing in front of the stove, cooking eggs. She turned around and smile,"Good morning Tai, Karimon."

                Kari was about to shout out Sora's name, but Tai quickly placed his hand in front of her mouth. "Good morning, Mom."

                "Well, sit down, breakfast's getting cold."

                Tai and Kari sat in their seats and Sora placed two plates of egg in front of them. "Enjoy," She turned around and started to get her own breakfast ready. Kari turned to Tai with a questioning look. Tai waited until Sora left before talking to his partner. "She's my mother in this world, I don't know how it happened."

                Kari wasn't able to ask another question before Sora sat down at the table. "Tai, don't forget that your cousin is coming over today to take you to the amusement park."

                "My cousin?" he asked,"Wh..which cousin?"

                "Mimi."

                Tai covered his surprise very well. "Mimi?"

                "Yes, she'll be here in a few hours. Remember to be nice to her."

                "Yeah, yeah."

                Emperor Tai felt the familiar sensation of exiting a realty portal as he landed on the pavement of the alley. He took a deep breath and looked to the sky. "What a beautiful morning."

                "Why Tai, getting soft on me?"

                He growled slightly as he faced the blond witch who had appeared next to him. "Well Alice, I have more emotion that you, ice witch."

                She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I'd watch my tone if I was you. I was the one that sent the e-mail that helped you escape from your world. If you think that I taught you everything I know, then think again."

                Emperor Tai crossed his arms in response. "I think that I've done pretty well on my own, thank you."

                She chuckled. "If this is your way of telling me that you want to end our working relationship..."

                He shook his head. "No."

                Alice chuckled. "I just came to check up on you. You only have three more crests to take."

                "I know."

                "Sincerity, Hope..."

                "I know!"

                "..and Light."

                He flinched slightly. Alice noticed this. "I hope you're not having second thoughts."

                "No, I know exactly what my mission is. I'll succeed, don't worry."

                "I hope you don't," she said,"Once you take all of the crests, I'll be back. " She slowly vanished.

                In the Digiworld, Skull Satanmon was sitting on a tree stump in the forest, holding a piece of paper in his hands. "Well, it's time, where is he?"

                "Sorry, I was delayed."

                Skull Satanmon looked up and saw a figure in a black cloak walking towards him. "Well, Yamaki, is it?"

                "That's right."

                "So, why do you need my services?"

                Yamaki reached into his pocket and handed the Digimon a photo. "I want you to kill this digidestined and his digimon partner, but, before nightfall. If you can't do it before then, forget it."

                "Any particular reason?"

                "My reasons are my own."

                Skull Satanmon held up his hands. "Hey, no problem. Just wondering. I'll get to work right away."

                Yamaki nodded and threw him a sack of money. "That's half, you'll get the other half when you complete the job."

                He nodded. "Don't worry, Tai Kamiya will be dead before nightfall."

                "See that you do," Yamaki muttered as he turned around and vanished.

                He reappeared a few minutes later inside of an abandoned building in Tokyo.  Alice was all ready there. "So, did you hire an assassin?"

                "Yes," he sneered,"How's your project coming along?"

                She glared at him. "Tai is only a few crests away from cracking the seal. The Master will be very pleased."

                Tai and Kari spent the few hours after breakfast taking it easy by watching some kind of early morning television shows. Sora walked into the room a second later. "Taichi," she said,"Your cousin is here."

                Tai turned around and saw a fifteen-year-old Mimi, wearing a sleeveless pink t-shirt and a denim skirt. Her pink hair was much longer and reached the center of her back. She was also wearing light makeup. A disguised Palmon was right behind her. "Uh, hi Mimi."

                She smiled sweetly at him and then sat down. "Mimi, I'm going to visit my husband in a few hours, just make sure that you call his number, if you need anything."

                "Okay."

                Sora made a big deal about getting Tai ready to leave, and disguised Karimon in a thick trench coat.She gave him more than enough money, then sent them on their way.

                Out in the hall, Mimi turned to Tai. "Some of my friends are going to meet us there, okay?."

                Tai shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

                They walked down the hall and into the elevator. When they reached the lobby, Tai and Kari gasped as they their friends.A fifteen-year-old Yolei was wearing a red short sleeve shirt and a pair of green shorts. Standing next to her was a five-year-old blond headed boy, whom Tai recognized as T.K. He was carrying Patamon in his arms like a stuffed animal. Yolei sighed at Mimi. "Sorry, Mom made me take him."

                Mimi frowned. "That's okay, Tai can watch him when we go and meet the guys."

                Tai frowned. "Perfect."

                The group soon arrived at the amusement park, totally unaware that they were being followed by the Emperor Tai and Skull Satanmon. The two of them were heading from different directions, but  were on a collision course with the group of children.

                Tai glanced at all the roller coasters and grinned. He pointed towards the tallest one. "I want to go on that one!"

                Kari chuckled to him from underneath her coat. "Acting our age, huh?"

                "Hey!"

                Mimi and Yolei looked around, then grinned when two fifteen-year-old boys walked to them. Tai and Kari gasped again when they realized they were Davis and Ken. 

                "Hey, Mimi!" Davis smiled.

                "Yolei," Ken nodded.

                Davis turned to look at the younger kids. "And who's this?"

                "That's just my younger cousin," Mimi added, grabbing her purse. She gave Tai a large amount of money and lightly pushed him away. "Go and amuse yourself."

                Yolei looked worried for a second, then saw Ken and grinned. "Tai, take care of Tk, all right?"

                "Um sure," Tai said, grabbing the little boy's hand,"Come on."

                Emperor Tai watched the group from his hidden place in the crowd. He watched his 'good' double walk one way, and the older group the other way. He debated which way to travel, then followed the two girls and their boyfriends. He was not aware that Skull Satanmon was also hidden in the group, disguised in a trench coat. He glanced at the picture in his hands, then followed the 'good' Tai.

                "Come _on!"_ Tai sighed, yanking on Tk's hand, "We're going over _here!" _He looked over to a large roller coaster.

The little boy stood firmly as he pointed at a train shaped ride,"I want to go there."

                Tai sighed. "Come on."

                Tk crossed his arms and tears started to fill in his eyes. Tai sighed again. Kari glanced up at him. "Was I ever this bad?"

                "Actually, I remember you cried a lot."

                "Hey there!"

                Tai and the disguised Karimon turned around to find two girls staring at them: the blond girl around ten, while the brown haired girl was six or seven. "Well, I was wondering when you two were going to show up, Sara and Sam."

                They shrugged. Sara knelt down in front of Tk. "Hi, what's your name?"

                "Tk," he said, looking to the ground.

                "Don't be afraid," Tai said, smiling,"This is a very good friend." He reached into his pocket and gave Tk a handful of yen and mentioned to a video game,"Why don't you go and play?" The young boy happily ran over.

                Kari and Sam were already talking, so Tai turned to Sara. "Do you have any idea how many crests my double has taken?"

                "Five," she sighed,"Sincerity, Hope and Light."

                "Light?" he turned to look at the white dinosaur he knew was his sister,"Do you think he'll really take Kari's power?"

                "There is a powerful force behind him..."

                "Alice?"

                "Behind even her," Sara hesitated, then continued,"The world that I come from was a lot like your world, Digimon and humans interacted regularly. They fought against invaders, but our greatest threat arrived disguised as one of our own. They were nearly destroyed, but they fought back and won. But their celebrations were short lived, a new threat soon followed, one so powerful, that all reality was in danger. These guardians had no choice, to contain this evil, they had to imprison that world away behind a seal, based on the same seal that was used to contain the evil in your Digital World."

                Tai nodded. "Which is why my double needs their powers, but who's the evil that's behind everyone?"

                Sara opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off when people started to scream. The four of them turned to the arcade. Tk was being held by a devil creature. "Skull Satanmon?" Tai gasped.

                The digimon grinned as he stared at Tai. "Well, I don't know what you did, but someone put a contract out on you."

                "You're an assassin?" Kari gasped.

                "That's right," Skull Satanmon laughed,"And I'm quite eager to get paid."

                On the other side of the park, Mimi's group was sitting in an ice cream parlor when a park employee ran into the building. "We're evacuating the park!" he shouted,"Everybody, get out!"

                "Come on," Davis said, grabbing Mimi's arm.

                "Wait!" Yolei called,"What about my little brother?"

                "I'm sure Tai is taking care of him," Mimi said,"Besides, Karimon is with them."

                "But..."

                "He'll be fine," Ken said,"We don't have any idea where he is."

                Yolei reluctantly agreed and followed the other three to the door. Everyone else had already left, so they were surprised to see that a sixteen-year-old boy was standing in the doorway. When the group saw his face, they gasped. "Tai?" Mimi asked,"But, you can't be..."

                The other figure grinned. "I am Tai, but it's too complicated for me to explain right now. And after I take your power, you'll probably just think this is all a dream."

                Tai, Kari, Sam and Sara stared at Skull Satanmon. "Let him go!" Tai ordered,"Skull Satanmon..."

                The digimon laughed. "Don't order me! Remember who's holding the boy!" Tk started whimpering.

                Tai hesitated, trying to think of a plan. "Why are you here?"

                "For you, idiot! I was paid to kill you. A Yamaki paid enough to make sure you never breath again."

                "Yamaki," Sara hissed.

                "If you want me, then let Tk go! I won't put up a fight, I promise."

                "Tai!" the three girls shouted.

                "Quiet!" he hissed,"Kari...mon, Karimon, give Sam her device. Sara and Sam, you know what to do with that."

                "Are you sure?" the blond girl asked.

                He nodded. "Go."

                The two girls ran off, leaving Kari and Tai staring at Skull Satanmon. "Let him go, Skull Satanmon!" Tk ordered,"And I won't fight back."

                The devil digimon hesitated, then grinned. "I guess I can't argue with an answer like that." He released his grip on the young boy.

                "Run, Tk," Tai said,"Get out, now!"

                He didn't need to be told twice. He ran away as fast as he could, but as he rounded a corner, he slammed into Emperor Tai. The young boy stared up at him for a second before the evil Tai drain the power of the Crest of Hope.

                "Now," Skull Satanmon said,"You and I had a deal."

                Tai smiled. "Right, I promised that _I_ wouldn't fight, I didn't say anything about my partner..."

                Kari nodded. "This is going to be weird. Karimon digivolve to Angewomon!"

                Tai frowned as Angewomon floated above him. "Angewomon again? Jeeze."

                Kari glanced at herself. "This feels weird, besides, I don't think I like wearing this revealing outfit."

                Skull Satanmon pointed his rod at the other digimon."What's wrong with you? What's so weird about a digimon digivolving into a different form?"

                "Um..I..."

                "She doesn't have to explain anything to you," Tai growled,"Kari..mon, I mean Angewomon, go for it. Just..be careful."

                "What is with you two?" Skull Satanmon asked,"I've never meet anyone like you two before. It's shame to kill someone as unique as you." He jumped into the air and swung the rod into Kari's face.

                "Are you alright?" Tai shouted.

                "Yeah," she said,"I'm..fine. Let's see what I can do." She quickly created a cross with her hands. "Heaven's Charm!" The beam of light raced towards Skull Satanmon, but he dodged out of the way.

                "Take this, Nail Bone!"

                Kari found that she was much faster, and flew out of the way in time to avoid it. She swung her leg around and smashed her foot across his face. "Hey, I actually hit him!"

                "Don't stop!" Tai shouted,"You're going to get killed!"

                Kari saw Skull Satanmon flying towards her. She panicked and instinctively slammed her fist into the devil's face. He shot backwards and hit the ground. "Wow, I really hurt him."

                "Because you're an angel digimon!" Tai gasped,"You can beat him! Try harder!"

                Kari tried her Heaven's Charm attack again, this time it succeed. Skull Satanmon screamed out in pain before he vanished. Kari hovered to the ground and changed back to Karimon.

                "Are you alright?" Tai gasped.

                She nodded. "Yeah..I'm fine."

                Tai smiled as knelt beside her. "Even though I've never told you, you're the best."

                After sealing the reality rip, Sara and Sam met up with the Tai and Kari as they evacuated the park. Lucikly, by the time that Kari fought Skull Satanmon, everyone had already left the park, so they were easily able to blend into the crowd. After searching for what seemed like forever, they finally found the other members of the small group. Tk and Mimi were sitting down with wash cloths on their heads. 

                "What happened?" Tai asked.

                "What about you?" Yolei asked,"Tk told me what happened? Are you and Karimon okay?"

                "I'm fine," she said from underneath her jacket.

                "Mimi, what happened?"

                She shook her head,"I..I thought I saw you, an older you...."

                "_He's_ here?" Tai whispered to Sara.

                "Don't worry," she whispered back,"Sam and I can alter their memories like we did with the others in the last world. They won't remember this."

                Tai just nodded. "Let's try to get home."

                Sara had kept her promise, as none of them remember what had happened. All they knew was what everyone else knew, that the park had been evacuated for some strange reason. After convincing Sora that he was fine, she finally gave him and Kari some free time right before bed.

                Tai laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Emperor Tai needed only Kari's crest to break that seal, and he didn't want to think of what would happen then. He thought of Kari lying on the ground next to his bed. Would Emperor Tai really take his own sister's power. Would he have done that? He was afraid of the answer.

                Alice giggled as she watched Yamki's furious expression. "So much for your weapon, huh?"

                He smashed his fist through a wooden box. It was totally destroyed. "Skull Satanmon should have kill them, but somehow having the Light Child inside of the digimon's body, it gave her more power."

                The witch crossed her arms,"Well, that will be taken care of very soon."

                "Just make sure your Tai drains the power of Kari's crest. The Master is growing anxious."

                She growled at him. "Don't worry, I'll complete _my_ mission! I know why I'm here, how about you?"

                "Your feelings aren't important to me," he said,"When all realities bow before us, I'm going to be the right hand of the most powerful being ever lived!"

                Alice stared at him, then left.

                to be continued....


	21. The Crest of Fear

Chapter 21:

The Crest of Fear

When Tai opened his eyes, he already knew which world he was in. He had returned to every one except the one world that he really did not want to return to. He quickly shut his eyes again and mentally counted off the world he had already been to. Yup, there was only one left.

He slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his room. White and pink walls, a matching desk with stuffed animals covering it. There was a closet filled with female clothes of all sorts, next to a white dresser. He threw off his white sheets and saw that he was wearing a pair of yellow and pink pajamas, with white stars. He pulled at the collar and looked inside. He saw a white bra covering his breasts. He pulled away the waist of the pants and saw a pair of white panties.

"Yup," she thought,"I'm back in the body of my female alter-ego." She climbed out of bed and onto the white carpet and walked towards the door. She grabbed a robe behind her door and pulled it on.

After an uncomfortable trip to the bathroom, she walked into the kitchen to find that her mother had set the table for three plates. Tai saw that her mother was busy making breakfast, so she walked over to her. "Hi, Mom."

"Good morning, Tai," she said, pouring into a frying pan,"Did you sleep well?"

"Not since the world I woke up in and found that I was Kari's younger brother."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled sweetly,"What's for breakfast?"

"The usual," her mother said,"I'm making extra because your brother's coming over early?"

"My brother?" she said outloud.

"Yes, Tai, remember I told you that your father was bringing him over for the weekend?"

"Yes, but I...didn't think he was coming this early," she lied convincingly.

"I know," Mrs. Kamiya said,"But, your father's flight was moved to this morning."

The doorbell rang. "Could you get that?"

"Sure," she said, walking over to the door. When she opened it, she had to cover her surprise. Her father was standing on the other side, with a familiar 12-year-old boy. "Kari!"

"Good morning to you too," her father sighed.

"Oh, uh, sorry Dad."

He smiled and hugged her. "That's okay. How's my little girl?"

"Um..just fine."

Mrs. Kamiya came to the door a second later. "You guys are even earlier, huh?" she said.

Mr. Kamiya shrugged. "I don't want to be late, that's why you'll excuse me if I make this quick." He placed his hand on Kari's shoulders,"Behave young man."

"I will," Kari fidgeted, slightly blushing.

He said goodbye to Tai and Mrs. Kamiya, then ran down the hall. Mrs. Kamiya hugged Kari tightly. "It's good to see you again."

"Um, you too, Mom," he said, walking inside.

"I made the guest room all up for you, so you can put your things inside, breakfast will be ready in a minute."

"I'll help her, er, him with those," Tai said, grabbing a light suitcase and followed Kari into the room that Mrs. Kamyia had mentioned. Once they were inside, they shut the door.

Tai grinned. "Well, _little brother_!"

Kari frowned. "Don't call me that."

Tai laughed slightly. "It's not so funny when it happens to you, is it?"

Kari sighed. "So, _big sister_, Mom and Dad are divorced in this world?"

Tai shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see Dad the last time I was here. I kinda thought he was dead. Maybe there not divorced, just separated."

"Whatever," Kari shrugged,"All I know is I woke up this morning wearing a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts." He mentioned to the area between his legs,"It feels really weird having something extra there. And it's really painful!"

Tai crossed her arms. "What happen? Did you get it caught in the zipper?"

Kari blushed. "Tai!" He smiled slightly,"You've got some pretty cute pajamas."

"That was low," she shook her head.

After breakfast, the two were once again in the guest room. Tai was waiting as Kari pulled Sam's device out her suitcase. "Here we go."

"You know," Tai said, "If we see Sam later, remind me to ask her how that device ends up with you every time we change worlds."

"Kind of late now, isn't it?" Kari asked,"Never mind. I've got a lock on the reality rip."

"Where?"

"A few blocks away. Get dressed and we'll go."

Tai sighed then walked into her room. Kari walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. A second later Tai emerged from her room, wearing a blue skirt and a matching t-shirt. "Ready?"

Kari giggled.

"What?"

"Why are you wearing a skirt?"

"Shut up!" she said, pulling on her shoes.

"Tai!"

"I'm sorry." She took a few deep breaths, before saying,"Kari, I was just..curious, okay?"

"Uh, sure," he said,"Well...I guess I was a litter curious to see what it would be like to wear boxer shorts and have a...well, you know."

Tai just nodded as she followed her younger brother out the apartment.

Outside, the Emperor Tai stood atop the building and watched as Tai and Kari walked onto the street. He stared at Kari until she was out of sight. He sighed deeply. "I have to do this, I have to take her Crest of Light. Hers is the last I need, I'm so close. I have to do this now!"

He leapt across building roofs until he had gotten in front of Tai and Kari. He quickly ran down the stairs and onto the street. He ran into the nearest alley and waited in the shadows. When Tai and Kari walked by, he grabbed Kari into the alley.

"Kari?" Tai asked, turning around,"Kari?" She ran back to the alley and looked inside. What she saw made her gasp. Her evil double was standing over Kari, who was lying on the ground.

Tai ran over to the Emperor Tai and tried to knock him off, but being in a weaker body, Emperor Tai threw her off easily. He stared into Kari's eyes, his hand quivering. He couldn't move, he couldn't do it. He screamed in frustration and ran off.

"Kari, are you okay?" Tai asked, running over to her little brother.

"Yeah, I think so. He didn't take my powers. Why?"

Tai shook his head. "I don't know."

The two siblings continued to follow the signal from Sam's device until they reached their destination: well, as close as they got was a row of stores along a main street sidewalk..

The two walked through the crowd of people and almost ran into a boy and a girl. The girl wore a denim skirt and a yellow tank top and was Tai's age and the boy was Kari's. They instantly recognized them. "Hey, Sam" Tai grinned,"Sporting a different look?"

Sam fidgeted. "Yeah, well, I've only had the form of a boy a few times. It always made me feel strange."

"Why did you?" Kari asked.

He smiled at him. "Well, so you wouldn't feel alone."

Kari grinned. "Thanks."

Tai turned to Sara. "My double tried to take Kari's Light powers, but he couldn't."

Sara was shocked."Seriously?"

Tai nodded.

"He probably wants to do it at a latter time. Maybe he realized that there was too many people around or something like that."

"I don't know," Tai said, "I mean, he is me, right? Maybe he's just confused. I've been thinking about Alice, maybe he's just being used by her."

Sara nodded. "Maybe, but I don't know. I realize it's never easy to accept your dark side, but.."

"Hey guys!" Sam called,"Can we find that reality rip so we can leave? I'm very uncomfortable like this."

"Me too," Kari grinned,"Let's go."

As they continued down the sidewalk, Tai turned to Sara. There was something that she needed to know, and she wasn't going to wait any longer.

"Sara, in the last world, you started telling me about your world."

"Yeah?"

"You told me about a powerful enemy that gained control of your world and then your world needed to be sealed away. You never told me who the enemy was."

Sam stopped and turned to them.

Sara hesitated, "I...I don't know."

"You don't know?" she asked.

"No. Sam and I were able to escape, but all we knew was what I have already told you."

"All this time, you've been helping us, and you don't have any idea what's happening either?!"

"I didn't say that," Sara smiled,"My friends are still trapped inside our world, but one of them was a..reality jumper like ourselves. I have been mentally keeping in contact with him."

"Who's that?" Tai asked.

"He doesn't want you to know right now, but you will soon. You've already met him."

Tai sighed as she crossed her arms. "Well, I guess I've trusted you this long, so I've got no choice, huh?"

They were about to respond, when they heard someone shout out their names. They turned around and saw Emperor Tai running after them.

"Oh no," Tai said,"He's back?"

"We've got to run!" Sara called,"Now!"

The group quickly ran down the sidewalk and into a large clothing store. Tai was mentally smacking herself for choosing to wear that skirt, as it was now riding up on her. She was also afraid that Emperor Tai caught a glimpse of her panties as she dove into the store. The group quickly hid behind a row of mannequins. Emperor Tai glanced inside the store, then ran down the hall.

Kari breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close."

"Since when does he carry a gun?" Tai asked.

Sara shrugged. "I don't have all the answers."

Tai sighed. "Great, now what do we do?"

"Maybe we should get out of here before he comes back?" Sam asked.

Tai ran over to the door and glanced outside,"He's not there. Let's go." The group successfully managed to run out the door and back down the sidewalk. They didn't stop until they were certain that Emperor Tai wasn't behind them. Tai fell onto her knees and panted loudly. "That was close."

Kari let out a sigh of relief as well, then noticed his device was still beeping. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. "Hey, this thing says that the rip is still in front of us!"

Sam walked over and lifted it up. He looked it over, then frowned. "It's malfunctioning."

"Why?"

Sam handed it to him. "It's running low on power. I didn't think it would take so much to keep it changing worlds with you."

"All right," Tai said,"How do we charge it?"

Sam lightly rubbed his chin. "Well, if we can just charge it enough to locate the reality rip and close it, we won't need it again."

"Why?" Kari asked, then he realized,"This is the last world, isn't it?"

Sara nodded. "That's right."

"Okay, how do we charge it?"

"I'll need an electronics store. That should work."

"There should be one in the mall," Kari said,"If this mall is the same as the one back home."

"Probably has an electronics store anyway," Sara said,"That's pretty common. Come on."

When the group entered the mall, they found there was a familiar group of kids gathered by the door. "Oh no," Tai sighed,"It's Matt."

A blond haired guy with a guitar strapped to his back noticed Tai's group and started waving. He ran over with a red-headed boy and a brown haired girl. Kari recognized Matt and Mimi, but he was schoked when he recognized the boy as Sora. There were other kids that soon came over, Yolei, and Cody were all their normal selves, but Izzy and Joe were both younger then normal. Tk was there too, but surprisingly, he was now a girl, wearing a tight pair of jean shorts and a tight tank top. Davis was a girl also. She waved at Kari. "Hi!"

"Oh, uh, hi," he said, smiling slightly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Matt asked, grinning at Tai.

Tai mentioned to Sara and Sam, "There are my, uh, cousins, and we were taking Sam to an electronic store. She-uh, he needs some computer equipment."

"Really?" Izzy asked, his eyes lighting up,"I was on my way there too."

Tai gave herself a silent smack. Her plan was to get them away from the other Digidestined, but that plan had backfired. "Um, I..." She looked at Sara and shrugged slightly.

"What was that about?" Mimi asked.

"Um, nothing," Tai quickly said.

"Well," Izzy said, to Sam,"I was on my way to the store too, if you want to come?"

"Yeah," Kari said,"Come on Sam."

"Hold on," Tk said, running next to him,"Do you mind if I come too?"

Kari frowned to himself. "No..not at all. Come on. Um, Tai, I guess we'll meet you and Sara later."

Tai nodded. "Yeah, we'll meet back up here in an hour?"

"Sure, see ya." The group of boys left. Tai and Sara stared uncomfortably at the other teenagers.

"We were going to the arcade," Matt mentioned to the other guys, "If you girls want to come?"

"That's okay," Mimi grinned,"you boys go and have fun. We'll have a little 'girl time."

Tai sighed, then forced a smile. "Great."

Mimi grabbed her and Sara and dragged them towards a clothing shop. "There's the cutest little outfit that I want to show you."

Outside the mall, Emperor Tai stood in the parking lot, staring at the entrance. He felt that someone was staring at him from behind, then turned around to see a familiar blond girl. "Alice."

"Good afternoon Taichi," she said, walking over to him,"What happened before? Why couldn't you take the Crest of Light?"

"I am doing this my way," he said,"I knew that the time wasn't right."

Alice snorted as she crossed her arms. "I know that you're lying."

Emperor Tai didn't say anything.

"You've got to remember how Sora turned her back on you."

Tai started to flinch.

"Remember how she left you. Remember the hurt and rejection you felt at the concert."

"S..stop it," he said,"Stop it!"

"Davis and the others betrayed you. They turned their backs on you. They followed Matt instead! They would have killed you. They want to kill you, but you have to get them first!"

Tai was shaking with rage. "I..hate them!"

She started moving her heads on an odd way. "You have a power inside of you, one that that will help you. You still have love for your sister, but you cannot. You are afraid, but you must draw your fear out, pour it out of you body. Get rid of it! Infect others with it! Use it as a weapon!"

Emperor Tai growled as a glowing object appeared around his neck. "What is this?"

"The Crest of Fear," Alice grinned,"Use it to take the powers of Light. It will draw the Fear out of you. Now go and complete your mission!"

Kari and Sam were thankful that the Izzy of this world was a computer lover like his counterpart, otherwise the two boys might have had to deal with him while they looked for the parts that Sam needed. They left Izzy drooling over the new computers when they found a selection of wires and batteries. "What exactly are you going to do?" Kari asked.

Sam grabbed a bunch of packages. "I should be able to charge the device through an power outlet, but I need to build something that will convert it into the main motherboard and..."

Kari held up his hand. "I trust you."

Sam shrugged. "Come on, the sooner I fix this, the sooner I'll be able to leave this world."

"Lucky you," Kari sighed, crossing his arms,"I've got to wait until later tonight."

Tk suddenly came around the corner. "Hey guys!" she waved,"Why'd you move so fast? It was like you wanted to ditch me."

Kari was about to respond when Izzy came running towards them. "Hey, you're not going to believe this, but I just saw Tai! A..a male Tai running through the mall!"

"He's back," Kari sighed.

Sara stood in front of the dressing room. "Okay, she's gone."

"I'm still not coming out!"

"Tai, you're a girl in this world, no one is going to think it's strange for a girl to wear that!"

"I'm still not coming out!"

"Well, Mimi has your clothes out here, so if you don't want to wear that home, you're going to have to come out and take them."

Tai sighed then opened the door. She came out wearing a green bikini that she was sure every guy in a hundred mile radius was staring at. "I feel ridiculous, where is Mimi?"

"Right here!" she chirped, running over with a pile of clothing. Tai could see that her clothes were on the top. She grabbed them and dove back into the dressing room. A few second later, she came back out, wearing her skirt and t-shirt.

Mimi frowned. "Awe, you didn't like that bathing suit?"

"It was too revealing," she dropped it back into the other girl's hands.

Mimi giggled. "That's how you get the guys to notice you!"

Tai was about to respond, when the three of them heard the people in the mall screaming. They ran to the store's door and heard some people yelling about the electronics store.

"That's where Sam and Kari are!" Tai gasped. She turned to Mimi,"Sara and I are going to get them. Find Matt and the others."

"A..are you sure?"

"Yes!" Tai yelled, running down the mall,"Go!"

Sara and Tai ran through the group of people until they reached the electronics store. The Emperor Tai was standing there, with Kari and Sam in front of him. There was a glowing pendant hanging around the evil Tai's neck. "Hey!" Tai shouted.

The three boys turned to them. "Tai!" Kari shouted.

Tai clenched her fists. "Stay away from Kari!" she shouted.

The Emperor Tai stared at his double. "Well," he said, in a deep voice, "You look different, are you doing something with your hair?"

"Very funny. But there's something different with you. What's that thing around your neck?"

The Emperor Tai looked down,"This is my Crest of Fear!"

"A Crest?" Sara gasped, "You have a crest?"

He smiled. "That's right. Here, let me show you how it works!" He raised his hand and fired a blast of dark light that struck Tai. She fell over backwards and landed on the ground.

"Tai!" Kari shouted, "Tai!" He twirled around and stared at the Emperor Tai. "What did you do to him?"

Emperor Tai grinned. "_She_ is just experiencing her worst fear."

Kari turned to where his older sister was lying on the ground. "Worst fear?"

"Yes," Emperor Tai said, "Now, I believe that you have something that I need."

Sara and Sam jumped in front of him. "Run Kari. Leave, now!" Sara shouted.

Before he could react, Emperor Tai sent Sara and Sam flying into the walls. He stared at Kari. "Now, give me your crest powers!"

Kari stepped backwards. "No! You're not going to take mine!"

Emperor Tai grinned. "I don't recall giving you a choice!" He raised his glowing palm, and Kari hovered into the air, unable to move.

"Let me down!" he said,"Please, you don't want to do this."

"Yes I do," he growled, "Your Light powers are now mine!" Kari started screaming as a glowing stream flowing from his chest and into Emperor Tai's palm. He laughed as Kari's power flowed from his body and into his palm. "Yes! I've got it!" Kari fell to the ground, while Emperor Tai continued to laugh. "No one can stop me now! No one!" He laughed again and ran out of the mall.

Sara and Sam slowly crawled along to the floor to try and reach the two Kamiya siblings. "Tai!" Sara called.

"Kari," Sam moaned, "Hang on, we're coming.":

When Tai opened his eyes, he found that he was lying on the ground, in an apartment that he instantly recognized. It was Sora's, but everything was oddly larger then normal. When he inspected himself, he felt a wave of horror pass over him. He was back as a cat!

The door to the apartment opened and Sora walked inside, wearing her school uniform. When she saw Tai, she knelt down and started rubbing the back of his head. "Hi Tai!" she smiled.

Tai? She knew who he really was, but how?

The redhead got up and walked over to the cabinets. She pulled out a box of cat food and poured it in a bowl, which she laid on the floor for him. She walked into her room, but left the door open for him. He followed and watched as Sora pulled off her school uniform. Soon she was in nothing but her undergarments. She noticed Tai staring at her. "You know, Tai, if you were still human, there would be no way that I would want you to see me like this, but since you're just a cat, I know that there's nothing you can do."

Sora pulled on a pair of jeans and an orange sweater. She lifted Tai and sat down on the bed, with Tai on her lap. She started petting him. "I hope you like living with me and Mom. I know it's difficult for you, to live as a cat since that impostor destroyed your body. Kari wanted to keep you as a pet, but I knew that you'd rather live as my cat. I've never had a pet before, so I hope I'm doing an okay job taking care of you."

The doorbell rang. Sora gently lifted Tai up and placed him on the floor. She ran through the apartment and opened the door. "Matt!" she grinned, "hi!"

Matt stepped inside and kissed Sora. "How's my girl?"

"Fine," she giggled.

"So, are you ready to leave?"

"Yup, let's go."

Tai watched in horror as Sora walked out of the apartment with Matt. _"No! No, it can't be! This can't be real! No__.__.__no__.__.__.__.__"_

"Tai, wake up! Wake up!"

Tai opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor of the mall, still inside of her female alter-ego. If she was still there, then that must mean...

She quickly jumped up and saw that Sara was standing next to her. "What happened?" she asked.

The blond girl sighed slightly as she mentioned to Kari, who was still lying on the floor. "Her light powers are gone," Sam sighed, "Your double id gone."

Tai was going to say something when sirens started blaring. "We'd better get out of here. Help me take her." She and Sam carried Kari as they ran out of the mall.

They took Kari back to the apartment to rest. He stayed there with Sam, while Sara and Tai focused on closing the reality rip. Sam had re-charged the device, and now the two girls were trying to use it.

"Do you know how to use this?" Tai asked.

Sara nodded. "Yeah. Sam's really the computer expert, but I've used this a few times."

The two girls walked down the sidewalk where the signal lead them. "I hope that Kari's okay," Tai said, putting her hands into her skirt pocket.

"She'll be okay," Sara said,"She's just a little weak, that's all."

"If Emperor Tai has all of the crest powers, then that means he can break through that shield, right?"

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"The entrance to my world was hidden in another world. If he wants to break through the shield, he'll need to go to that world first."

"Do you think he knows where it is?"

"No, but I bet whoever is behind Alice and Yamaki does. We'll send you and Kari to that world next, to try and stop them. It will be out last chance."

Tai nodded. "I got it."

Sam's device started beeping. "We're here," Sara said.

Tai looked up and saw a that they were in front of an alley. "The rip must be inside there."

"Yeah," Sara said, "Come on." The two girls walked inside and found the small glowing circle next to the dumpster. "Well, this is the last one." She handed the device to Tai, "Why don't you do the honors?"

Tai grinned and pressed the large button. The glowing circle shrunk, then vanished. "The last one, finished, wow."

Sara put her hand around Tai's shoulder. "Come on."

Later that night, Kari sat on the edge of Tai's bed. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let him do that to me."

"It's okay," Tai said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "We still have a chance to stop them. In the next world. Now get to sleep."

He nodded, slowly leaving the room.

"Kari."

He turned around and saw Tai smiling slightly. "It wasn't your fault, really."

"Yeah," he sighed, closing the door.

Tai took one look around the room before closing her eyes.


	22. Rock Star

Chapter 22: Rock Star

            When Tai woke up the next morning, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was lying in a king sized bed, while a giant 32 inch t.v. was on a large stand in front of him. A huge closet was on the right, and a desk was on the left. Judging by the room, this reality's Tai must be filthy rich.

            "I hit the jackpot!" he grinned, jumping onto the floor. He opened the door and stepped into a giant living room, which must mean that his apartment was gigantic. 

            He ran into the bathroom and looked himself over. He looked like he was eighteen. "I'm a guy and even older!" he cheered,"Yes!"

            "Tai?"

            He was quiet as Kari stepped into the bathroom. She was her normal age and gender too. When she saw Tai, she smiled. "I'm a girl again! Yes!"

            Tai smiled. "Are Mom and Dad home?"

            Kari shrugged. "I just saw your room and my room. I don't know where they are."

            Tai nodded. "But did you see how rich we are? This is incredible!"

            "Don't get too attached, you'll be leaving soon."

            The two siblings spun around and saw Sam standing in the living room. She was a sixteen-year-old girls dressed in revealing skirt and top. "Oh, it feels good to be a girl again!" she said, rubbing her arms.

             "Why are you dressed like that?" Tai asked.

            She shrugged. "Fan girl usually want to get noticed."

            "Fan girls?" Tai and Kari asked at the same time.

            "Yeah. you know, those groupies girls that..."

            "That's not what we meant," Kari said, "Why a fan girl here?"

            "Because, Tai is a famous rock star, and you Kari, are his manager and agent."

            Tai looked around the room. "Well, that explains the apartment."

            "That's right," Sam nodded, "Sara and I wanted to get here as soon as possible considering what's at stake."

            "Emperor Tai," Kari said, "He's going to open your world."

            "Yes, and while I'm eager about getting back home, we have to stop him. Whatever destroyed our reality hasn't been defeated yet. Sometime today, we'll have to get you away from practice and to the sealed entrance to our reality."

            "Hey," Kari said, "Where's Sara?"

            "She wanted to come with me, but I thought that one fan girl here would be safer. And we decided I would play the part better because Sara's such a serious stick in the mud."

            "Safer?" Tai asked, "What do you mean safer?"

            The door bell rang. "Open the door and you'll see."

            "I'll get it," Kari said, running over. She opened the door, and Tk and Davis stepped inside. 

            "Hi Kari," they both said, walking into the living room. When they saw Tai and Sam, they grinned.

            Tk mentioned to her. "And whose this?"

            "Did you meet her last night?" Davis asked with a smile.

            Sam walked up to Tai and whispered, "See what I mean?"

            "Well, if you're going to bring her, you'll have to provide your own back stage pass," Tk sighed, "I can't insure everyone."

            "Tk's your stage manager," Sam whispered, "And Davis plays the drums."

            Tai nodded.

            "Come on," Tk snapped, "Get dressed! The others are waiting!"

            Tai and Kari nodded, then ran into their rooms. They emerged a few seconds later, Kari in a professional skirt, shirt and jacket, while Tai wore a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. They joined Sam and quickly followed Tk and Davis downstairs were a limo was waiting. They climbed inside and the car took off.

            Emperor Tai waited until the wind and light faded before he glanced around. He was in a grassy field that was surrounded by trees. "I'm in the park," he said, looking around.

            "Yes," he heard Alice say from behind, "Now, hurry up and get to work. We've got to find that sealed hole before your double tries to stop us."

            Emperor Tai growled. "Where is it?"

            "I don't know," she said, "I wasn't there when they sealed it! The best I can do is that it's in this city. Just find it."

            "What about you?" he asked, looking at her from over his shoulder.

            She smiled. "Those two reality hoppers are already here. I can feel them, and they have no doubt felt our arrival. I'm going to guard this area, find the entrance. I'll join you when you find it."

            He started to walk out, but then turned back around, "How I am suppose to find it?"

            "Use the crest powers that you have taken. It'll be like a magnet, drawing you towards the seal."

            He nodded. "Fine, don't get yourself killed."

            She chuckled. "Don't worry."

            They arrived at a large auditorium where the other Digidestined were already practicing. Matt was standing in the front of the group, strumming chords on his guitar. Ken was warming up on an electric piano, Cody and Izzy were checking the amplifiers and sound equipment and Sora, Mimi, and Yolei were all singing to themselves in the corner. Davis ran up to his drums and Tk grabbed Kari and pulled her towards a pile of papers, leaving Tai and Sam alone.

            Tai turned to Sam. "What do I do?"

            "You play the guitars," she whispered.

            "But...I can't!"

            She smiled. "Don't worry. We took care of that."

            "What do you mean?"

            Sam sighed. "Well, in the previous worlds, you were pulled into the other Tais because of the rips in reality. Think of it like a hole in a dam, the water will keep flowing through that hole until it's fixed, right?"

            Tai nodded. "I guess."

            "But you closed those rips in reality, so you won't keep being pulled from world to world. In fact, if we hadn't of taken you out of the female Tai, you might have remained there for the rest of your life."

            He shivered. "A girl for the rest of my life? No thanks."

            Sam sighed. "Anyway, Sara and I took you put you in _this_ Tai's body because this is the reality that contains the hidden entrance to our reality. And since Sara and I were the ones that moved you, and not reality, we could give you..extra abilities."

            Tai raised his eyebrow. "What kind of abilities?"

            Sam grinned. "You can play the guitar."

            "I can? Really? Wow."

            "You don't have time to play with it," she sighed, "You've got to hurry through this practice so we can find the Emperor Tai."

            "But where are we going to start looking?"

            "Sara's out there now, don't worry. She'll find him."

            Sara was in the guise of a sixteen-year-old girl and was walking through the park. She had felt someone entering this reality, and she knew that it wasn't Tai, Kari or Sam, so it had to be the Emperor Tai. If she could find him quickly, maybe she could stop him without having to wait for the others.

            She walked further into the park clearing. No one was here, so why did she feel that a reality entrance was here. 

            She spun around and saw Alice floating behind her. The witch smiled. "Hi."

            Sara growled and stared at her.

            "What's wrong?" Alice asked, "No hellos?"

            "I'm not happy to see you," she hissed, "I'll never forgive you for what you did to Jeri, Never!"

            Alice chuckled. "I did only what needed to be done. She stood in my way. It's as simple as that."

            Sara held out her hand and a staff appeared. "I'm stopping you here and now."

            Alice laughed. "You can't stop me!" She fired a ball of black at Sara.

            She quickly raised her hand and blocked with her forearm. As the ball impacted a transparent image of a black and yellow gauntlet appeared, then vanished. Sara swung her staff, which shot a wave of light at Alice, but the witch raised her palm and the wave vanished.

            "If you're still attacking with that power, you'll never hope to defeat me."

            Sara growled at her. "I'm going to stop you!"

            Alice threw another black ball, which Sara barely dodged. She tried to fire her staff again, but Alice shot to the ground before Sara could react. With simple ease, she encased Sara in a set of red circles. She struggled, but she couldn't move.

            "Now," Alice laughed, raising her glowing palm," Good bye."

            Sara's scream shot through the entire park.

            Back at the concert hall, Tai was enjoying his new-found talent. He was easily leading the band as they practiced their songs for the night.

            "Come on Matt!" he shouted with joy as he played a note on his guitar.

            Matt shook his head. "No, I'm beat. I can't play anymore."

            He turned around and looked at Davis and Joe. "What about it? Come on!"

            "Tai," Joe panted, "I don't know why you're so pepped up, but you're wearing us out!"

            Tai turned to Sora, Yolei and Mimi, but the three girls turned away quickly. "Not a chance," Sora said, "We're exhausted."

            Tai frowned. "Owe, come on!"

            "What's with you?" Davis asked, "You're acting like you've never played before!"

            Tai coughed a little. "Well, I.."

            "Tai!" Kari shouted from the seats. He looked down and saw his sister standing next to a very worried Sam. 

            "What?"

            "Sam needs you to talk her home."

            "O..kay," he looked to the other Digidestined, "I don't think I can miss practice..."

            "Go!" they all shouted.

            "All right, all right," he said, gently placing his guitar in the stand. He jumped off the stage and ran over to where Kari and Sam were standing, "What's wrong?"

            Sam sighed. "Something's happen to Sara. I can feel it."

            Tai gasped. "Are you sure?"

            Sam nodded. "Yeah."

            Tai looked to Kari. "Are you coming?"

            "Sure!" she smiled, "Tk had been filling out all of these papers that I had no idea what to do! I just hope that after today, this group doesn't loose all of its money."

            They found Sara at the park, barely breathing. "Sara!" Sam shouted, "Sara!" She ran to the blond girl's side, "Sara, talk to me, please."

            Kari felt Sara's neck. "She's got a pulse."

            Tai lifted her into his arms. "We've got to get her to a hospital."

            "No," Sara said weakly, "No hospitals, I'll....I'll be fine."

            Kari shook her head. "No, you've got to.."

            "I'll be fine!" she snapped, "Put me down."

            Tai sighed, then placed her back on the ground. "What happened?" Sam asked.

            Sara coughed. "Alice and I had a little encounter. You've got to find Emperor Tai, before it's too late."

            "But where?" Tai asked, "Where's the entrance to your reality?"

            She was having trouble speaking. "Performance hall..." Her head fell to the ground.

            "Sara!" Sam shouted.

            "We're taking her to the hospital," Tai ordered, "Now!"

            "But what about Emperor Tai?" Kari asked, "Sara said to hurry."

            Tai turned to Sam. "Where's the entrance?"

            "I..I don't know," she shook her head, "Sara knew...She said Performance hall . We should check it out. I think there was a theater in the city."

            "I'll take Sara to the hospital," Kari said, "You guys go."

            "Allright," Tai said, "Come on Sam."

            Tai and Sam ran down fourty-fifth street to reach the theater. "I don't know," Tai said, looking at the rotted door, "I think this place is abandoned."

            "It's the only clue we really have," Sam said, "Come on, let's go inside."

            They ran through the doors and stood inside of the run down theater. There were rows of rotted and crumbling seats, while the stage had a giant crack through the center and I-beams lying across the floor. "I guess this place was condemned," Tai said.

            "Yeah," Sam sighed, "But I don't see anybody."

            Tai smiled. "Good. That means that we beat them."

            The two turned to each other. "Now what do we do? Just wait?" Sam asked.

            "I don't think that will be necessary."

            They two swung their heads to the stage and saw Alice and Emperor Tai, a serious look on Tai's face, but a smirk on Alice's. "Welcome," she chuckled, "I assume that you are here to find the sealed entrance? Well, you're wasting your time, it's not here."

            "Who cares?" Sam shouted, "You're here, and that's enough!" She fired a stream of glowing red at Alice, but the witch raised her hand and blocked it with ease.

            Sam growled. She was about to run to the stage to tackle Alice, but Tai stopped her."Don't," he said, "She'll cream you!"

            "I don't care!" she shouted.

            "Sam!" Tai shouted, "Sara doesn't want you to die for her!"

            Sam stopped struggled and took a few deep breaths. "Tai...I..I.."

            Alice laughed. "Awe, how cute! Ha!"

            Tai stared up at the stage, but his attention was focus on his double. "Tai," he said, "Why are you doing this?"

            The Emperor Tai just stared at him.

            "Please," he said, "We've both traveled through so many different worlds, but in every world that I've been in, the Tai has always been a good person."

            Emperor Tai smirked. "I guess _I'm_ the exception, huh?"

            "No, I don't believe that, and I think you don't either. I saw what happened to you, I know why you became the Digimon Emperor. Tai, please, what happened to Kari wasn't your fault!"

            Emperor Tai's stone face cracked slightly.

            "And what happened to Matt...well, everyone gets a second chance. Please, don't do this."

            Emperor Tai shook his head slightly. "Don't try to stop me, or you'll be sorry."

            Tai started to run towards him, when Alice fired a thin red beam into the ground directly in front of him. "Another step, and I'll take off your head," she smirked.

            Tai stepped back slightly, then shook his head. "Tai, can't you understand? You're nothing but her pawn! She's using you!"

            Alice's smile faded and she became very angry. "Quiet!" Her eyes flashed for a second and the chairs exploded around Tai and Sam. They came crashing down on top of the duo. She smirked, then turned to Emperor Tai. "Come, Taichi, we've got to find that entrance."

            After they left, the pile of chairs remained motionless. A figure ran inside and jumped over to pile and started throwing chairs aside. A few seconds later, Tai and Sam shot their heads up. "Are you okay?" the figure asked.

            The two of them rubbed their injured arms. "Yeah," Sam said, slowly standing up. "I..I think so."

            Tai turned to the figure. "Yeah, thanks. I...Derwood?"

            Sam gasped and stood beside Tai. "What are you doing here?"

            "Tracking Alice and your double," he answered.

            "What?" Tai asked, "Why?"

            He chuckled slightly. "It could be that I just want revenge on Yamaki and who ever is behind him, but maybe I learned a few things from you and your friends. Whatever the reasons, I'm here to help."

            Tai and Sam glanced at each other. "What do you think?" he asked.

            Sam shrugged. "I guess we could trust him."

            Tai sighed. "Well, the entrance isn't here. Now what?"

            Sam coughed slightly. "Maybe we should talk to Sara. Maybe she's awake."

            Tai nodded. "It's worth a try."

            Derwood nodded. "I'm going to try and follow Alice and the Digimon Emperor Tai. I'll meet you guys later if I find anything."

            "Um okay," Tai said, "Do you know where we are?"

            Derwood grinned slightly. "One of the most popular rock stars in this world? Yeah, I think I can find you. Later."

            Tai and Sam were able to find Sara and Kari in the hospital room. The blond girl was lying on the bed, with a dozen different machines connected to her. Kari was sitting next to her. "What happened to you two?" she asked.

            "We met Alice and Emperor Tai, but that witch almost killed us," Tai said, rubbing his shoulder, "That entrance isn't there."

            Sam mentioned to Sara. "How is she?"

            Kari sighed. "Still unconscious. They don't know how long she'll be like that."

            Sam just nodded.

            Kari looked at her watch. "Um Tai, we've got to get back to the concert. They're going to...Hey, Sara said 'performance hall,' do you think...?"

            "It's worth a shot," Tai said, "But what do we do if Alice shows up? It doesn't look like Emperor Tai has any extra powers that I don't, but that witch is so powerful."

            Kari walked over and held Tai's hand. "We'll do our best to stop them."

            Tai nodded. "I hope so."

            By the time Tai and Kari reached the concert hall, there was already a group of screaming people outside. They were mostly girls, all trying to cram into the hall. Tai and Kari both looked at each other with worry. "Kari," he said, "If I die here, promise me that you'll tell Sora when you get back home?"

            She chuckled. "I don't think they're that bad."

            Tai sighed and stepped out of the cab. A few of the girls in the back turned and saw him. "It's Tai Kamiya!" they shouted. All of the other girls began to scream and chase after him.

            "Ah!" he yelled, running through the crowd to try and reach the back entrance. He grabbed the handle and was able to open the door. He jumped inside him and panted. "That was close." He glanced down at his clothes and saw that they were rip apart. "Man, I didn't know girls could be like that."

            "Tai!"

            He looked up and saw Tk standing in front of him. "Where have you been?"

            "Visting someone in the hospital."

            "I don't care!" Tk snapped, "Hurry up and get dressed. You've got to go on in a half and hour!"

            Tai quickly ran past him and into his dressing room. Matt, Davis and Joe were already there. "You're late," Matt said as Tai ran to his set of clothes.

            "Sorry! Jeeze!" he said as he got dressed. 

            When he was ready, he ran onstage with the other guys. The three girls were already there, and Kari and Tk were off stage watching them. Tai looked to everyone, then nodded. "Break a leg," he whispered to himself.

            The curtain opened and the group stared out at the filled audience. Tai took a deep breath and nodded slightly to the others. Tai strummed on his guitar, and the others began playing. Music filled the concert, and Sora, Mimi, and Yolei started singing.

            You've got a boy, you've got a girl, 

            Sittin' underneath a tree. 

            They sit there everyday. 

            And even though, you may think, that this is the way to be, 

            It may not always be that way. 

            You can't take nothin' for granted

            You gotta live like today. 

            I turn around and I can see what's behind me, 

            And I turn back around and I can see what ahead. 

            And if you don't believe I'll be here all along 

            Just turn around. 

            The crowd was cheering and screaming as the Digidestined continued to play. Tai had completely lost himself in the moment, if he had been paying attention he would have seen Alice, Yamaki and Emperor Tai step inside. Unfortunately, he didn't noticed them until Alice's power sent a tremor through the concert hall. 

            The crowd started screaming again and they quickly ran through the fire exits. The rock group were next, all except for Tai and Kari. "Come on!" Tk shouted.

            The two Kamiyas were right behind him until they reached the exit. Tai quickly threw a fallen I-beam across the entrance. "A beam fell in front of us!" he shouted, "We're stuck inside!"

            He turned to Kari. "That should buy us some time." He turned back around to Alice and Emperor Tai. "What are you doing here?"

            Alice laughed. "Why don't we can the small talk? You know why I'm here, and I know that you know."

            Tai frowned, then turned to his double. "Still her lap dog, huh?"

            "I wouldn't talk to her like that, it seems dangerous."

            "Derwood," Kari said in shock, "You really are here to help us?"

            He nodded,"Yeah, and I ran into some others outside." He mentioned to the door, where two girls walked inside.

            "Sara!" Kari shouted, "Why aren't you in the hospital?"

            The blond girl leaned on Sam's shoulder. "I couldn't. I promised that I would help you, and I'm going to."

            "Besides," Sam smiled slightly, "We couldn't pay for the room, we don't have any insurance."

            Alice laughed. "Well, it's nice that you're all here, on this special occasion."

            "What occasion?" Derwood asked.

            "Shut up!" Yamaki snapped, "No one's talking to you."

            Alice held up her hand to tell Yamaki to be quiet. "Well, let's not wait any longer."  She grinned with anticipation as she turned to Emperor Tai, "Now, use the powers that you have rightly taken! Open the seal!"

            "Don't do it!" Tai shouted, "You don't have to!"

            Emperor Tai just stared at him. "I must! This is the way it has to be!" He held his hands to the ceiling as eight glowing beams shot into the sky; four from each hand. They smashed into each other and created a glowing vortex in the sky.

            "Excellent!" Alice laughed, "Come, Yamaki, Taichi, into the vortex!" 

            The evil group grinned and jumped into the air. The vacuum of the vortex pulled them inside where they vanished.

            "We've got to go after them!" Tai shouted.

            "You can't!" Sara said, "If you and Kari jump through, you'll remain in those bodies, but the Tai and Kari of _this_ world won't have any bodies to return to!"

            "Wait," Sam said, over the roar of the vortex, "Can't we create bodies for the Tai and Kari of this world?"

            "It could work," she said, "but it's risky! What time is it?"

            "6:00!" Derwood answered.

            Sara thought for a minute, then grabbed a small item from her pocket.

            "Is that a cell phone?" Kari asked.

            "Yeah, we're wireless," she smiled slightly. She put the phone next to her ear, "Yeah, it's me. I need you to create two bodies and hurry. Yeah, the Tai and Kari of the world I'm currently in. After you do that, get to the concert hall as soon as you can. The vortex should still be unsealed, just use the Trans-dimensional Unit to open it. Alright." She disconnected.

            "Who was that?" Tai asked.

            "Now isn't the time," Sara said, looking at the vortex, "It's going to close soon. It's now or never."

            Tai held onto Kari's hand. "Let's go!" 

            Sara looked at Derwood. "Are you coming?"

            "I wouldn't miss it."

            The quintet got a running start before jumping into the twirling circle.

            to be continued....


	23. World of Destruction: Part 1

Chapter 23:

            World of Destruction:

            Part 1

            As Tai slowly opened his eyes, he rubbed the back of his head. He didn't know how, but he found that he had a large lump under his hair. He sat up and examined himself. He felt a strange feeling when he noticed that he was in the same body as the previous world. He wonder what would happen to _that_ Tai, but remembered that Sara said that bodies would be created for them. 

            He suddenly remembered which world he was in, Sara and Sam's world! The world that Emperor Tai wanted to get into! He stood up and looked around at the world. 

            It was a scene from the end of the world. The sky was covered in a thick smog, and only a small ray from the sun came through. The pavement was covered with large potholes and buildings were falling apart around him. He heard a blasting siren behind him. He spun around and saw a massive building with two large towers on top. 

            "Tai!"

            He turned around and saw Kari running towards him, still wearing the suit from the previous world. "Kari," he smiled, "I'm glad you here."

            She nodded. "But where is here?"

            "It looks like Hell," Tai said,"Where are the others?"

            She shook her head. "I don't know. We must have been separated. What do we do now?"

            "I guess we try to find them. Come on."

            The two siblings walked down the destroyed streets until they reached a block of the city that had a group of buildings that were still standing. They found what appeared to be a bar.

            Tai turned to Kari. "Should we try here?"

            Kari shrugged. "All right. I'm just going to stay close to you, if that's okay."

            Tai chuckled. "Sure."

            They stepped through the salon doors and entered inside. It was a regular design, with a bar on the far wall and a group of tables in front. The patrons were loud and noisy and most of them looked like they had escaped from a prison. Tai took a deep breath and walked to the bar. The bartender looked like he had escaped from the ape pit at the zoo. He looked at the two with an odd glance. "What'll it be?"

            Tai looked at the row of bottles on the wall. He couldn't find anything that he recognized, so he said, "Just give us something that won't make us drunk."

            "Won't make you drunk?" he chuckled, "All right, sure."

            As he started making their drinks, the two siblings glanced around at the people in the bar. Half of them looked like they were from the Dark Ages, with swords and shields. Many of them even looked like ogres and trolls. "This place is hell," Kari muttered.

            "Here you go," the bartender said, placing two glasses on the bar. 

            "Thanks," Tai said. As he sipped the drink, he said, "Excuse me, I'm looking for someone. Maybe you can help."

            "Yeah?"

            "Two girls. One has blond hair and the other has brown."

            "That really helps. How old?"

            "Well, that's the thing, I don't really know."

            "You don't?"

            "Yeah, well, they don't always look the same, but I do know their hair color."

            "Well, that helps a lot," the bartender sighed, "Do you at least know their names?"

            "Uh, yeah. Sara and Sam."

            "That narrows it down. Any family names?"

            Tai was about to respond when a young woman walked over to them. She had long purple hair and was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a yellow jacket. "Excuse me," she smiled, "I couldn't help over hearing. You're looking for Sara and Sam?"

            "Do you know them?" Kari asked.

            She nodded. "Sure. You're Tai and Kari, right? Sara and Sam told me to keep an eye out for you. Well, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to them."

            The two Kamiyas nodded and followed her out of the bar. They entered the street and started walking. "How do you know Sara and Sam?" Kari asked.

            "I'm one of their partners," the woman answered, "There are a lot of us."

            "Oh," Tai said, "So, you knew when the Emperor Tai took my Crest of Light powers, right?"

            "Yup," she nodded, "We knew that he would succeed."

            Tai and Kari both stopped, and the woman turned around. "_I_ have the Crest of Light," Kari said.

            "Who are you?" Tai asked.

            The woman chuckled. "All right, so I didn't read the brief that Yamaki gave me. Stealth wasn't always my strong suit." She reached under her jacket and pulled out a rife shaped gun. "Freeze and I won't kill you."

            Tai and Kari stood still for a second. Tai quickly kicked the gun out of the woman's hand, and the two of them ran away. By the time the woman had grabbed her gun, the siblings were gone.

            "Darn it!" she shouted, "I'd better get backup."

            Tai and Kari ran until they were out of breath. They started panting as they fell against a collapsing building. "Who was that?" Kari asked.

            Tai shook his head. "I have no idea, someone from Alice and Yamaki, probably."

            "She did say she didn't read Yamaki's report. Perfect, if the bad guys are looking for us, how are we suppose to look for Sara and Sam?"

            "I just had a really bad thought," Tai shivered, "What if Sara and Sam aren't even in this city? They could be on the other side of the planet."

            Kari gasped. "I didn't even think of that. Oh, now I'm really worried."

            "Oh, well, that's probably unlikely. I mean, _we_ landed close together, so the others are probably around here somewhere."

            They walked around the group of destroyed buildings. Kari pointed at one of the walls. "Look at this."

            Tai looked to where his sister was pointing and saw a bunch of graffiti on one of the walls: FIGHT THE POWER, JOIN THE REVOLUTION, and LONG LIVE MATSUKI!

            Tai looked around at the dark world. "A revolution? What is this place?"

            Kari tugged on Tai's sleeve. "Look over there."

            She was pointing to a town square, where a large group of people were standing. "Maybe one of them knows where Sara and Sam is?"

            "But, how are we suppose to know who is an enemy?"

            "I guess we don't. Should we go?"

            Tai sighed. "I can't think of anything else."

            The town square was filled with lots of people, but no one knew anything about Sara or Sam. They walked over to a rotting building. "Well, now what?" Tai asked.

            "Don't give up," Kari said, "I'm sure that they're around here somewhere."

            Tai leaned back against the building wall and sighed. "At this rate, we'll never find them. We could be lost here, forever."

            Kari was about to answer, when the two siblings heard voices from inside of the alley. Tai put a hand over his sister's mouth and pulled her closer to him.  There were two voices, a girl and a boy.

            The girl spoke first. "Where have you been? We've been waiting forever for that."

            "Sorry, it took longer then I thought to get the plans. Where's my payment?"

            "Here. It's all there."

            "Good. So, what does Matsuki need those plans for?"

            "Sorry, I'm not at liberty to tell our secrets to anyone who's not part of the Revolution. I hope you understand."

            He chuckled. "Yeah, sure, good luck."

            Tai and Kari pressed their backs firmly against the wall as the boy walked out. A few seconds later, the girl came out. She was about ten or eleven with short brown hair. She was wearing pink Chinese clothing that looked odd in the dark atmosphere. She walked away, and Tai turned to Kari.

            "You don't want to follow her, do you?" Kari asked.

            "I think we should," he said, "Sara and Sam are enemies of whoever attacked their world, and I guess that those Revolutionists are fighting that 'whoever' too."

            Kari sighed. "All right, you're the boss."

            They followed closely behind the girl as she walked through the slums of the city. They passed by more then a dozen buildings that were falling apart, and hundreds of homeless people. They finally arrived at a construction site. The girl rounded the corner. When Kari and Tai entered, they saw that the girl was staring at them. "Who are you and why are you following me?"

            "Wait," Tai said, "It's not what you think. We're looking for..."

            A loud siren blasted from near by. Tai and Kari turned around, but when they looked back, the girl was gone."Where did she go?" Kari asked.

            "Never mind," Tai said. He grabbed his sister and ran back into the street. They saw that they were blocked in by a large group of what looked like race cars. The purple haired woman was in one of the vechiles that was missing a roof. 

            "Tai Kamiya, Kari Kamiya, give up now," she said.

            "Run!" Tai shouted. He and Kari spun around and ran back into the construction site  "That girl had to leave through somewhere! There!" He pointed to a large drain that was leading through the ground. "Come on."

            They ran inside. It was too large for the cars to jump through, and by the time the forces chasing them got out of the cars and ran inside, the two Kamiyas were too far ahead.

            Tai and Kari finally emerged through a large drain in a lower section of the city. They ran onto the street and panted. "Did we loose them?" Kari asked.

            The sirens started blasting again. "No," Tai sighed, "Come on, we've got to keep moving."

            They ran down the street until they reached a stone building. There was a man riding a motorcycle who stopped right in front. He jumped off and walked inside. Tai grabbed Kari's hand and ran over to the machine. "Get on."

            Kari climbed on and held onto Tai and he revved the engine. "I didn't know you knew how to ride a motorcycle."

            "I don't."

            The machine sped off down the street just as the race cars came driving after them. "Tai!" Kari shouted as he flew down the road,"Be careful!"

            "I am!" he shouted back, "Where are we anyway?"

            "I don't know, it looks like a highway."

            Tai looked into the mirror. The blazing cars were starting to disappear over the horizon. "Cool, we're actually outrunning them!"

            "Tai look out!"

            He spun back around and saw that the highway ended over a large river. Tai tried to stop the motorcycle, but he couldn't. Tai and Kari flew over the edge and landed in the river. The force of the impact knocked them both out.

            When they awoke, they found that they were in a prison cell. "Tai," Kari asked, "Are you okay?"

            "Yeah, what about you?"

            "I'm fine, but were are we?"

            "I think they got us," he replied, sarcastically.

            "Ta-ai!" she whined, "Stop that!"

            He smirked slightly. "It's still so easy to get you annoyed."

            She was going to say something, when the cell door swung open. A group of people dressed in gray uniforms and carrying guns came inside. They pointed the weapons at the two Kamiyas. "Let's go," the leader said.

            They lead them through a maze of hallways until they reached an office room. The group of guards kept their guns pointed at Tai and Kari's backs as another, but familiar, group of people walked in through a door on the other wall: Alice, Yamaki, and Emperor Tai.

            The witch chuckled. "Nice to see that you made it. I was beginning to worry that you didn't jumped into this reality after all. Well, on behalf of everyone here, welcome to _our_ reality."

            Tai smirked. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure."

            She laughed. "Being hospitable is quite easy for me."

            Kari stared at her. "I bet that's not the only thing that comes easy to you."

            The witch shouted at her. "You little brat!"

            "She got you dead on!" Yamaki roared with laughed.

            "Shut up!" she snapped.

            Yamaki's laughter started to die down as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh man, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Well, anyway, Tai and Kari, I think you remember my associate, Riley."

            They looked behind him and saw the purple haired woman. "If it wasn't for her, you would have drowned in that river. "

            They didn't say anything.

            "Well," Alice said, "I'm sure you're eager to know why you're here, but, I think someone else would be better able to answer that." She stepped aside and mentioned to a teenage boy starting behind them. "Allow me to introduce you to our employer, Ryo Akiyama."

            "Ryo?!" Tai gasped, "Ryo?"

            "I see you remember me and yes, I am the same Ryo from your world," he grinned.

            Tai was in shock. "But, how?"

            "After you and I met, I traveled to this world, where I became trapped after that blasted seal was put into place!" He grinned, "But now I'm free once again! And the multiverse will tremble at my power!"

            "Why?" Tai asked, "Why are you doing this?"

            "My reasons are my own, but, what I need from you is the location of Sara and Sam. Where are they?"

            "We don't know," Tai answered.

            Ryo mentioned to the group of soldiers. "Take them back to their cells. When you want to answer, I'll know where you are. Take them away."

            Back in their cells, Tai was pacing the floor. "Ryo is our enemy? I only met him once, but I didn't think that he was like that!"

            "Who is he?" Kari asked.

            "I remember meeting him after Agumon and I returned to Earth from the Digital World. I don't remember too much about that time, but I do remember him as a decent guy. I wonder what happened?"

            Kari nodded. "So, is there anything else that you haven't told me yet?"

            "What?" he asked.

            "Why didn't you tell me?"

            "Kari," he gasped, "I..I didn't think that you would.."

            He was cut off as tremors started shooting through the building. "What's going on?" Kari asked.

            The left wall of their cell blew apart and a teenage boy walked in. He looked at them. "Tai and Kari Kamiya, I presume?"

            "Yeah?" Tai asked.

            The boy nodded. "My name is Takato Matsuki, and I'm here to rescue you."

            to be continued....


	24. World of Destruction: Part 2

Chapter 24:

World of Destruction:

Part 2

Tai and Kari closely followed Takato as he lead them through the alleys of the city. No one had said anything since they escaped from Ryo's base. Tai and Kari were trying to decide if Takato was on their side, but after he mentioned Sara and Sam, they decided to take a chance.

"So, where are you taking us?" Tai asked.

"Somewhere safe," Takato answered, "Trust me."

"We have so far," Kari said.

They followed him to a demolished hotel. "Inside," he said. Tai and Kari nodded and walked behind him until they reached a brick wall. Takato seemed to be counting bricks down and to the right. He stopped at one somewhere near the middle and pressed it. The brick wall slid open to reveal a dark tunnel. Takato mentioned to it. "Come on." The two siblings nodded and ran after him. The wall slid back after they were safely through.

The three of them continued through the hall until they reached a large circular room. A group of other teenagers were there. A boy with brown hair, 16, an orange haired girl with a nasty scowl, 16, a brown haired girl in a pink dress, 14, and another boy with a visor, 16. The orange haired girl spoke first. "Well, Takato, did you get them?"

"You two are okay!"

Tai and Kari turned and saw Sara and Sam running towards them, in the forms of 14 year olds. Derwood came quickly behind and smiled at them. Sara hugged Tai, while Sam embraced Kari. "We were so worried!" Sara gasped.

"When we got separated, we so afraid that you were captured by Hypnos," Sam sighed.

"Hypnos?" Tai asked.

Takato nodded. "Yeah, that's name of the organization that we're fighting against. They are the rulers of this world."

Sara pulled away from Tai and mentioned to the others. "Well, let me introduce everyone." She pointed to the boy with brown hair, "This is Henry, and his sister Suzie."

Kari pointed at her. "You're the girl from before!"

She bowed. "Yeah. I'm sorry, no one contacted me about you two. I didn't even know that Sara and Sam were back until I came here."

Sara continued. "This is Rika, and the other one is Kazu."

Kazu bowed. "What's up?"

Rika sighed. "Just ignore him. He left his brain back in first grade."

"Hey!"

Derwood glanced around the room. "So why are you guys hiding out here, anyway?"

"That's a pretty long story," Takato said, "But if you want the short version, Sara should introduce the other person."

Sara grinned and mentioned to the a person standing in the shadows, which Tai and Kari hadn't notice before. "This is the person that I was talking to on my cell phone before we jumped into the portal." When the figure stepped out, they both gasped.

"Ryo?"

The figure nodded. "Yeah. I'm the same Ryo that you know, but not the same as the one you saw in the Hypnos building."

"What does that mean?" Tai shouted.

"Yeah," Kari said, "It doesn't make any sense!"

"To explain that," Ryo said, "I'll have to start at the beginning. After you and I parted ways, I came to this world. I have been to alot of different realities, but this was the only one that I've been to that had Digimon Tamers. Somehow I got a D-Arc and joined them as they fought against the Sovereigns. "

Henry interrupted. "We were in the Digital World, well, _our_ world's Digital World, searching for a digimon who could cause other Digimon to digivolve, name Calumon. We found him, but also found a deletion program that the creators put there. It's mission was to destroy any artificial intelligence program that exceeded its parameters. The Digimon were at the top of its list, but once it found out about us, it wanted to delete humans to."

Rika sighed. "One of our friends, name Jeri, lost her Digimon partner. She was so depressed, that the D-Reaper absorbed her and sent a clone of her to come home with us. Once that clone was on Earth, the D-Reaper followed. We had no idea."

Kazu spoke next. "We fought against it, and were able to beat it. We were pretty happy, until we found out that the D-Reaper had somehow weakened the barrier around our world. "

Ryo took a deep breath and continued. "After we beat the D-Reaper, I started to act weird, like their was something else inside of me, controlling me. After almost killing my friends in a rage, my body split apart! That Ryo you saw earlier, was my dark half. This Dark Ryo was able to convince Alice and Yamaki to join with him. In return, he gave them the powers that you saw them use. Alice has sorcery, while Yamaki is the strongest being in almost every reality."

Suzie picked up where Ryo left off. "Takato lead us against them, but when we lost, he became the rebellion leader. A very good one too."

Takato smiled slightly. "You're making me blush. Anyway, one day we saw a bright flash in the sky. We had no idea what it was, but when we went to check it out, we found two 14-year-old girls lying in a crater, one with blond hair, the other with black. We figured out that they had crossed realities, but they didn't know where they were from, or their real names. So Jeri named them Sara and Sam."

Tai and Kari turned to them. "You mean, you don't know who you really are?"

Sara shook her head. "No. All we could pretty much remember was that we were twins."

"You're twins?" Kari asked, "I didn't even know you were sisters!"

The two girls were shocked. "Really?" Sam asked, "I could have sworn that there were a lot of times that we said so."

"Yeah, " Tai said, "But I thought that you were just pretending to fit the world we were in."

Sara shrugged. "Oh, well, sorry. But, yes, we're twins. And in case you're wondering, this are what we really look like and our real ages."

Kari smiled. "You really don't look _that_ different. "

Tai looked at Derwood. "How come you always talked to them like Sara and Sam weren't their real names?"

He shrugged. "I read a file about them, but their names were Jennifer and Jessica."

"We've used a lot of alias," Sara explained, "But Ryo told us to trust you, so we used our real names."

"Anyway," Takato continued, "We trained them and made them part of our rebellion. By that time we learned that Yamaki had created a corrupt group of police officers called the Reality Police."

Derwood frowned. "Yeah, well he tricked me. I thought that he really wanted to protect the multiverseve, but all he really wanted was to follow Dark Ryo's orders."

Takato nodded. "We were fighting against Hypnos and winning, until we found out that Dark Ryo was looking for a way to free some imprisoned god that could wipe out every reality, but he needed something from another reality. Dark Ryo is powerful, and if there is something more powerful then him..? We couldn't take the chance of him getting what he wanted, so we used a shield device that Ryo brought with him from your world to trapped _this _world, until we could defeat Dark Ryo."

Ryo nodded. "I was training Sara and Sam about jumping realities and controlling a small part of reality to change their shapes when they put the shield in place. We didn't know what to do until we found out that Alice had contacted the Digimon Emperor Tai and 'nudged' him in the right direction to changing realities. We were going to stop him, but he had already found a way to keep your body even after he fell asleep. So I sent Sara and Sam to keep an eye on you until you were ready to find out about your double. That's basically were you came into this whole thing."

Henry sighed. "Since Emperor Tai was able to use the crest energy to break the shield around our world, we can only assume that Dark Ryo wants to use the same power to free his imprisoned god. Before you came here, Hypnos has been loading a moving a lot of its equipment somewhere. The information that Suzie got, was how to disable Hypnos's security system. If we get inside, we should be able to find out where they're going.We've got to stop them, before they are able to free him."

Tai nodded. "We're with you."

"Me too," Derwood said.

Takato smiled. "Good, we'll leave in a few hours. Maybe you should get some sleep before then."

"Wait a minute," Kari said, "When we fall asleep, won't we change worlds?"

Ryo shook his head. "No, since you entered this world through a reality rip in physical bodies, you'll keep those bodies, probably forever. That's why it's almost impossible to get your original body back Tai, but Emperor Tai has been jumping through reality rips this whole time. That body _is_ his now."

"Oh," Tai said, looking to the ground.

"Don't worry," Ryo smiled, "We can create a body just like your original, but I don't know how we'll get you from _this_ body to that one. But we'll think of something.".

"Thanks."

"I've got another question," Kari said, "You said you're Digimon Tamers, but where are your Digimon?"

"They've become part of us," Rika said, "When one of our Digimon digivolves to mega, we merged with them. After a long time, we just were able to merged permanently." She reached down and lifted her shirt to show them her stomach. It was covered with yellow fur. "My Digimon was a fox, and I'm starting to take one some of her features."

"Me too," Takato said. He pulled off one of his gloves to show that he had long claws. "This came from my partner."

Kari turned to Sara and Sam. "What about you?" They both nodded.

"That's what Rika and Takato taught us," Sam said, "We found our own partners and merged with them. Mine was a Salamon."

Sara nodded. "I had a Garurumon, but because both Rika and I had dog digimon, I was able to use an imitation of her staff. And..." She looked to the ground, "and we used a lot of techniques from Jeri, before she was killed."

"Killed?" Kari gasped, "How?"

Takato growled. "Alice killed her."

"Alice?" Tai gasped.

Takato nodded. He walked out of the room.

Rika scowled. "Takato and Jeri were in love with each other, but Alice killed her because Jeri wouldn't unleash the D-Reaper again. She killed her to try and free that, but it didn't work."

Tai sighed. "Wow, I'm sorry."

"Just get some sleep," she said, "Henry can show you to your rooms. Good night."

Dark Ryo faced the others of his evil group."We move out first thing tomorrow," he ordered, "The Tamers must have regroup and realized our plan by now. We have to get to the location before they do. We can't let anything stop us now!"

Alice and Yamaki bowed, but Emperor Tai stared at him. "What about what you promised me?"

Dark Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?"

Emperor Tai glared at him. "Alice told me that this reality could give me what I've always wanted, it could give me my greatest wish!"

"She wasn't lying," Dark Ryo glared at her, " What is it that you desire?"

Emperor Tai hesitated. "I...I want the Matt and Kari from my world brought back to life!"

"The ones that you killed?" Alice gasped.

"Yes."

She chuckled. "Really? What a noble wish. I had no idea that's what you really wanted."

Yamaki just crossed his arms. "Seems like a waste to me!"

Dark Ryo held up his hand to command Yamaki to be silent. He turned to Emperor Tai. "Unfortunately, resurrections are beyond my power. If you help me free the imprisoned god, he can bring them back to life."

Emperor Tai stared at him. "If I find out that you're lying, you will not get the power that I've stolen from the other Digidestineds." He turned and walked out of the room.

"Are you sure that's wise, sir?" Yamaki asked.

Dark Ryo shrugged. "Those two will be brought back to life, but they will only live as long as it takes for us to command all reality! Then everyone will die! Ha! Make sure that the preparations are ready."

Yamaki bowed. "Yes sir."

Dark Ryo turned to the witch. "Come Alice, it's time for bed."

She grinned at Yamaki, then followed Dark Ryo out of the room.

Yamaki turned and walked out a different door. He entered into a large docking area, where hundreds of soldiers were busy loading ships. He walked over to the purple-haired woman. "Riley!"

She saluted him. "Yes sir!"

"Double the preparations, we're leaving first thing in the morning."

"Yes sir!"

"Commander Yamaki!"

He turned to see a blond haired girl running towards him. She looked to be around ten or eleven. "What is it Tally?"

"Sir, reconnaissance has found the location of the Tamers base!"

Yamaki grinned. "Really?"

"Yes sir, they followed an energy trail that was totally different than anything they've seen before. They think it might be from the two off-worlders that went with the Tamers."

He nodded. "Excellent. Come with me to the lab, we've got to see Wong."

Tally nodded and ran after him like a child. Riley shook her head and spoke to another soldier. "If you ask me, experimenting with the laws of the universe like that are always going to have consequences. If Tally didn't ask Wong to make her younger, she wouldn't be stuck that way. All she wanted was to be twenty years old again, but look what happened."

The soldier nodded. "Or Wong and his scientists. I can't imagine being that way forever."

Riley nodded. "I agree."

Yamaki and Tally walked to the basement of the Hypnos building to a large metal door. Tally pressed a buzzer.

"What is it?" a voice asked.

"It's Lt. Commander Tally and Commander Yamaki."

"Hold on."

They waited a few minutes, then the door opened. The two stepped into a massive lab with weird machines and devices inside. Even weirder were the creatures walking around. Yamaki and Tally walked over to a group of these creatures that were standing at attention.

One resembled a blond haired woman, but she hovered around like a ghost, and was even transparent. There was a man there, but hunched over and covered with fur, another woman that had green skin, and hair like Medusa. The last man there had three eyes and four arms. "Dr. Wong," Yamaki said.

The three eyed man growled. "What is it? You're disturbing our work!"

The Commander looked over their shoulders and saw a little boy strapped to the table. He was unconscious, thankfully, but from his chest down, his human body had been replaced with a young horses. "New ideas?" he asked.

"Yes!" Wong grinned, "We've grafted the horse onto his body. Hopefully, as he grows older, he'll be able to run twice as fast as even the fastest runner in the world! And with his arms free, he can still hold weapons! Think of it, an assassin that can kill a person, but be blocks away before anything can be done about it!"

Yamaki just nodded. "We need one of your..'assissins' tonight. We've located the Tamers base, and if we strike now, we won't ever have to worry about them again!"

Wong nodded. "I have just what you need." He snapped his fingers, "Shibumi!"

Yamaki and Tally leapt aside as a dog/human creature ran along on the ground. Wong looked down at him. "Open pods four and five."

The creature nodded and ran over to a set of chambers on the wall. He pressed a lever near the fourth one and the door opened. A figure stepped out, which appeared to be both male and female! The left side of the figure had short brown hair and was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a pair of overalls. The right side had long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and was wearing a purple jumper and a t-shirt. Both looked like they were around ten or eleven.

"These were fraternal twins that were capture and delivered to us," Wong said, "We fused them together into one being. Ai and Mako were their names, but for simplicity, you can call them Aiko. They were partnered to an Impmon, whose power we gave to them.""

The figure bowed. "Yes sir," it said.

Shibumi opened the fifth pod, and a small, fairy creature hovered out. "And this is Kenta. We tried to fuse him with his partner, a Marine Devimon, but the physical results were less then satisfactory."

Yamaki stared at the hovering creature. It looked like a human boy, but with wings that looked like flippers, and instead of legs, there was a weird tale thing. Kenta hovered over and landed at Aiko's shoulder.

"These two will serve your purposes," Wong grinned.

Yamaki nodded. "Excellent."

Tai, Takato, Rika and Sara silently walked along the outside of the two towered building. Takato looked at a small map that was in his hands. He checked the building, then checked the map again. "There should be an air vent around here. We'll be able to sneak into an office where a main computers is. With these codes, we'll be able to find out where they're going."

Rika nodded. She pointed above them. "Is this what we're looking for?"

Takato looked to where she was pointing. There was a large metal grate above them. "That's it, let's go."

After they were inside the vent, they followed it through the inside of the building. Tai spoke. "So, you've done this sort of thing hundreds of times before, right?"

"Yeah," Rika whispered, "We sneak into enemy bases all the time. That's why this world is still the way it is!"

"Don't mind her," Sara said, "She's just grouchy."

"She's always grouchy," Takato said.

"Hey! Shut up garbage breath!"

"You're 16, right?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"You act like you're five!"

Sara and Takato started laughing. "Shut up all of you!"

"We're here," Takato said. He was staring though another vent and into a large office room. "We've got lucky for once, no one's there."

He pressed it out, but caught it before it fell. He pulled it inside and attacked a rope to the inside of the vent. He dropped the other end to the ground, and the other three climbed down with him. Takato ran over to the computer that was on the desk and started typing.

Rika ran over to the door and told Tai and Sara to watch the other doors. "Make sure no one's coming."

"Hey Takato," Sara asked, "How long are you going to be?"

"I have no idea, I guess as long as it takes for the security codes to work."

"I hope it doesn't take too long," Rika grumbled, "We're sitting ducks in here!"

Takato suddenly gave a shout for joy. "Password excepted! All right. Now, let's see where they're going."

Inside of his office, Yamaki looked up when Tally ran into see him. "Commander, someone's trying to hack into our mainframe!"

"What?" he asked.

Tally nodded. "Yeah, We registered an older code being used. It still works, but hasn't been used since last year. When we checked it out, it was in Wong's office..."

Yamaki nodded. "And there's no way he would have used an out of date code. Assemble a team, and meet me on the twentieth floor."

"Yes sir."

"Got it!" Takato grinned, "They're going to the Sahara Desert? Why?"

"Who care?" Tai asked, "Let's just get out of here."

"We've got to complete the second part of the mission," he said, "I've located the computer mainframe, it's three floors down. Rika, got the explosives?"

She nodded and mentioned to her backpack," Yup."

"You're going to blow the computer system?" Tai asked, "Wow, that's a smart idea."

"Glad you like it," Takato said, running to the door, "Let's go."

They ran through the halls and down the stairwell until they were three floors down. When they ran through the doors, Tai took note of the large twenty that was on the door, but didn't say anything as they ran into the building floor. He stopped short when he saw that Takato, Rika and Sara did the same thing. They were staring down a large force of Yamaki's soldiers. 

"End of the line!" he grinned.

Sara glanced to the side and saw a thin hallway between the rooms. "In there!" she shouted. The group followed her and emerged on the other side of the hall. Yamaki's soldiers weren't in sight, but they knew they didn't have much time. 

"There's the door!" Tai shouted. He pointed at a set of large double doors. "That's got to be it!"

The others ran over and swung the door open. "I'll set the charges!" Takato yelled. He grabbed Tai and they ran inside the dark room. When they were in the center of the room, the lights came on. The two teenagers gasped at what they saw. The room was covered in wires that connected to a large thing in the center. It looked like a teenage girl, suspended in the air with the wires piercing every part of her body. 

"What is that thing?" Tai gasped.

"It's Jeri!" Takato shouted. He was so shocked that he didn't know that Yamaki had entered the room until Tai grabbed him and spun him around.

"I see you found your friend."

"How can that be Jeri?" Takato asked, "Alice killed her!"

Yamaki smirked. "That's right. Alice did kill her, but it wasn't Jeri we wanted, it was the D-Reaper that was in her system! We needed that complicated program as a web master for our system. So now that you AHH!" He screamed in pain before he fell to the ground. Rika was behind him with a large power cord in her hands. 

"We've got to get out of here!" she shouted, "This place is going to be crawling with soldiers soon."

Takato stared up at the figure. "But Jeri..."

Tai grabbed him. "We've got to leave, now!"

"Jeri!"

to be continued....


	25. World of Destruction: Part 3

World of Destruction: Part 3

            While Takato and the others were busy inside of the Hypnos building, the remaining members were busy packing. They didn't know when their friends would come back with the information they were waiting for, so they had to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

            Kari ran into the loading dock with a pile of clothes in her hands. "Where do you want these?"

            Henry pointed to a bag on the table. "In there."

            Kari shoved them inside. Suzie laughed. "We're not in that much of a hurry."

            "We don't know when Takato's coming back," Kazu said, "So we've got to be ready to leave as soon as they come back."

            Sam came into the room with food supplies and put them into the bag too. "What about the medical supplies?"

            "We didn't get them yet," Ryo said, "I left them in the med lab."

            Sam nodded. "Give me a hand, Kari?"

            She nodded. "Sure." She followed Sam down the hall and into the lab. The medical supplies were on the table. Sam mentioned to a bag hanging on the wall. "Can you get that?"

            "Sure."

            Kari grabbed the bag and helped Sam ad the medical supplies into the carrying case. When everything was inside, she hosted it onto her back. "Come on."

            The two girls ran into the hall and started to run back to the loading dock, when a figure dropped down in front of them. They both gave a small shout and stared at the figure. "Who are you?" Kari shouted.

            Sam stared at the face and started to recognize. "Ai..Mako? But, it can't be..!"

            Aiko grinned. "That's right. I was created by the fusion of Ai, Mako, and their digimon partner. Beelzemon."

            "But how did you..?"

            "Dr. Wong gave me this power, and I'm here on a mission, to destroy you!"

            "What? Why?"

            "Because you and the rest of the Tamers left me to die!"

            "That's not true! Don't you remember…"

            "All I remember is lying on Wong's experimenting table!"

            "Ai, Mako..whatever your name is, please," Sam pleaded, "You were our friend!"

            "My name is Aiko!" it shouted, "And you're not my friend! And my partner isn't too happy with you either."

            "Partner?" 

            Aiko mentioned to a small fairy that hovered in front of it. "I think you recognize Kenta."

            "Kenta?" Sam gasped.

            The Kenta digimon held up his palms and fired a blue blast that sent the two girls into the wall. Aiko grabbed a rifle that was in the holster on Mako's side. It pointed it at Kari and Sam and fired. The two girls rolled out of the way and the bullets exploded a small section of the wall. 

            Back in the holding bay, the other Tamers heard a loud explosion. "What was that?" Suzie asked.

            "I think it came from the med lab," Henry said.

            The Tamers looked at one another, then ran down the hall. They ran into the medical lab, and found Kari and Sam tied up on the table. They instantly went on the defensive and started looking around the room cautiously. They would have been destroyed if Kazu hadn't warned them about Aiko's attack. It's crimson claw destroyed a portion of the floor. The assassin glared at the group."Darn you!"

            Henry gasped at it. "What are you?"

            "I am Aiko, a fusion of Ai and Mako."

            "What? How is that possible?"

            Aiko grinned. "I bring regards from your father."

            "My father. I should have known."

            Aiko's hands turned into a red claw. Kazu fired three missiles from his hand, but Aiko jumped out of the way. Henry and Suzie shook their heads and their ears grew into long rabbit like ears. Henry started spinning around in a tornado and he moved towards Aiko. The assassin slashed as Henry's whirlwind with it's claws, sending Henry crashing into a wall. Aiko leapt over to Henry to finish it's attack, but Suzie and Henry launched an attack at Aiko's back. The assassin screamed out and fell to the ground. 

            "Watch out for Kenta!" Sam shouted.

            The three Tamers turned around and saw the fairy speeding towards them.  They braced for the impact, but Kenta exploded apart. They were surprised until they saw Ryo standing there.

            "How did they know we where here?" Kazu asked as they helped Kari and Sam off of the table, "We were never found before."

            Henry sighed. "I think they may have traced Tai and Kari."

            "What?"

            "Takato and I knew that Hypnos could be able to track Tai and Kari, but we were hoping to be out of here before then. All we can do is wait for Takato and the others to get back, then we have to leave right away."

            The next morning, Dark Ryo stood on the deck of his airship as it traveled across the desert. He stared at Yamaki, who was kneeling in front of him. "So, you attempted to attack the Tamers on your own."

            Yamaki nodded. "Yes sir, but.."

            "And you didn't even think to contact me?"

            "But sir I.."

            "Tell me, Yamaki, who was it that gave you the powerful weapons that we used to conquer this world?"

            "You did sir.."

            He fired a blast of lighting at Yamaki that sent spasms through his body. "Never forget that!"

            Riley and Tally came over and helped him to his feet. "Now get back to the bridge!"

            "Yes sir," he said and he walked off. Alice grinned as she wrapped her hands around Dark Ryo's neck. 

            "You put him in his place, didn't you?"

            Dark Ryo was going to answer, when Emperor Tai walked onto the deck. "Yes Taichi?" he asked.

            "How long before we arrive?"

            "We should be there by noon. Are you anxious?"

            "I'm anxious for you to hold up your end of the bargain. Don't forget what you promised me!"

.           "Don't worry. Once we complete our mission, you'll get want you want."

            Emperor Tai stared at him for another second, then left. Alice giggled. "I'm sorry that we're going to destroy him. He was such a good pawn, it'll be sad that I won't get to play with him anymore."

            Dark Ryo grinned. "It has to be done. His heart isn't as dark as he likes to think it is. It won't be long before he regains himself, then we'll have another enemy."

            "Still it's a shame."

            The Tamers were traveling across the desert surface in a very large van. Kazu, Derwood, and Ryo were in the front seat, while the others were in the back. Tai and Kari were sitting together, Henry and Suzie in another seat, and Takato and Rika in another. Tai was sleeping until he woke up in a scream.

            "What's wrong?" Kari asked.

            "Just a bad dream."

            "Owe, do you want to talk about it?"

            Tai hesitated then said. "Remember in the world where I was a girl and you were my brother; remember when Emperor Tai hit me with that Crest of Fear? Well, I never told you what I saw. I..I saw my greatest fear, that when we return to our world, I'll be stuck inside of that cat because my body was stolen. I was even Sora's pet, and she was dating Matt."

            "Oh, Tai," Kari said, hugging him, "It was just a dream. It wasn't real. I know you're worried, but it'll work out. I promise."

            Tai smiled at her. "Thanks, Kari." 

            "How cute," Suzie smiled, "That's sweet."

            Tai and Kari both blushed.

            "Hey Henry," Kari asked, "Aiko said that she..he..whatever, was created by your father. What did that mean?"

            Henry sighed. "My father…Dark Ryo gave him the power to complete in-human experiments. Aiko was just one of everything that he did. He turned his back on us that day, and when we finally bring down Hypnos, he's going with them."

            "I'm so sorry, "Kari said. 

            "I don't know," Derwood said, "Revenge can give you pretty good focus."

"Leave them alone," Takato said, "We need to talk about what'll happen when we get there."

            "What do you mean?" Tai asked.

            "You don't have any powers," Rika said, "not like us. So you're going to need something else."

            "What else?" Kari asked.

            Takato mentioned to Rika, who handed Tai and Kari two large bags. When they opened them, they saw two large guns and a small suit of metal armor. "What are these?" Tai asked.

            Takato shrugged. "We humans use to use them before we merged with our digimon."

            "That's something that I've been wondering," Kari asked, "You say that you merged with your digimon, but..it seems to me like you..ate them or something."

            "No, we didn't," Henry said, "My partner was Terriermon, that's why my ears are long like his was, but my personality was just a little stronger."

            Suzie mentioned to him. "He's starting to act like Terriermon more and more."

            "Momentai," Henry said, then shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that!"

            The other Tamers started laughing. Tai and Kari looked at each other, then shrugged. "Inside joke I guess," Kari said.

            "Sorry," Henry said, "Why don't you try that armor on?"

            Tai and Kari soon strapped the metal armor to their bodies. The armor actually consisted of only a breastplate, two metal coverings for their forearms and shins. The guns were placed in holsters on their sides, but each one had another special weapon. "A sword?" Tai asked, "But, I don't know how to use a sword."

            Kari held up her staff. "I can't fight like this."

            "If we had more time, we'd teach you," Takato said, "But according to the map that we copied from the Hypnos mainframe, we're almost there. Besides, there's not a lot of room in here. We'll protect you as best as we can, but if you need to, use your guns. You do know how to use them, right?"

            "I played a lot of video games," Tai said, "I think I might be able to pick it up quickly."

            Rika smirked. "This isn't a video game, you know."

            "Hey guys," Ryo said, "You should see this."

            Takato and the others ran over and looked out the windows. They could see the giant Hypnos airship above them. "Pull back," Takato ordered, "I don't want them to see us. A giant desert, and we have to be right under them. Perfect."

            A few hours later, the Hypnos Airship landed on a large helipad. Dark Ryo and the others walked off and met with a soldier. "Good afternoon sir!"

            Dark Ryo nodded. "You found the door, I presume?"

            "Yes sir. Last night."

            "Excellent. Take us there."

            He nodded and lead them through the mobile base and over to a massive hole in the desert sand. Following closely behind that group was the Tamers, disguised in Hypnos uniforms. They followed them to an elevator beside the hole and went down through the hole and onto the cavern floor.

            "Where are we going?" Kazu whispered.

            "Quiet!" Takato whispered back, "No talking."

            Luckily, Dark Ryo and the others were too focused on themselves to hear the small whispering from behind. Eventually, they arrived at a large stone wall, shaped in a circle. Dark Ryo's joy couldn't be contained. "Here! We're here! This is it, finally! Yes!"

            The Tamers shed their disguises and stood revealed. "Hold it!" Takato shouted, "You're not unleashing whatever's behind that door!"

            "Oh really?" Dark Ryo asked, crossing his arms, "Let's see if you can!"

            The Tamers, plus Tai, Kari and Derwood. ran forward and braced to attack. Alice and Yamaki were ready to defend Dark Ryo, but their master walked out in front of them. He raised his palm and fired a tremendous blast of dark energy that threw the Tamers into Tai, Kari and Derwood.  Everyone except for Ryo became tangled on the ground.

            Dark Ryo turned to Emperor Tai. "What are you waiting for? Pour your collected crest energy into that door! Now! Do it or you'll never get your wish!"

            "Don't do it!" Tai shouted, "Please, you can redeem yourself, but not if you follow him! You can make up for everything that you've done!"

            Emperor Tai turned to the stone wall. "I only care about fixing two mistakes that I have done. And when I complete this task, the Matt and Kari of my world will be brought back to life."

            "He's lying!" Sara shouted, "Don't believe him!"

            "Enough talking!" Dark Ryo shouted, "Do it!"

            Emperor Tai nodded. He held up his palm and a shot a rainbow of colors into the stone wall. "No!" Ryo shouted, "I can't let you do this!" He started running to tackle Emperor Tai into the ground, but Dark Ryo leapt into front of him.

            "Sorry, 'twin', you're not going to stop my plans!"

            "Forget it!"

            Ryo tried to punch his double in the face, but Dark Ryo twisted behind him and threw him into the ground. "You won't stop me!"

            Emperor Tai kept pouring the energy that he stole from the other Digidestined and into the stone door. The marble circle began to crack as light shown from behind. "Yes!" Dark Ryo shouted with glee, "Yes! Finally, the seal is broken!"

            The Tamers were in horror as the stone wall shattered and a black-skinned creature with  two glowing cannons on its back stepped out. "He's finally free!" Dark Ryo shouted, "Milleniumon is free!"

            "Milleniumon…" Tai said in awe, "I can't believe how big he is."

            The freed Digimon stared down at the humans. "I am finally free!" he growled in a deep voice. He looked at Dark Ryo, "My partner, it is you."

            Dark Ryo nodded. "Yes, I've freed you and now all of Reality can bow down before us! He looked over his shoulder at Tai and Kari. "And now we'll travel to the world that will be the first, their world!"

            "What!" Kari shouted.

            "Why?" Tai asked, "Why are you going to our world?"

            Dark Ryo grinned. "Return home if you want to know, that is, if it's still home! Ha ha!"

            "What about me?" Emperor Tai asked, "I did what you wanted, now hold up your end of the bargain."

            Dark Ryo turned to Milleniumon. "What about it? Can you resurrect two dead humans?"

            Milleniumon turned to Emperor Tai. "For him? Forget it."

            "What?" Emperor Tai shouted, "You swore!"

            "I lied," Dark Ryo grinned, "Now we don't have any more use for you."

            Emperor Tai pointed at Dark Ryo. "I will kill you for this!"

            "Be happy that I'm letting you leave with your life!" He turned to look at Milleniumon. "After you."

            The large digimon grinned and created a large glowing portal in the floor. The evil forces jumped inside, leaving Emperor Tai and the Tamers.

            "Now what do we do?" Kari shouted, "He'll destroy our world."

            "The portal's still open," Ryo shouted. He was holding his open palm to it while sweat was starting to come down his face. "I'm holding it open, but I don't know for how much longer."

            "Okay," Tai said, "We've got to go after them."

            "I'm coming," Derwood said, "How about anyone else?"

            Takato turned to the others. "Henry, Kazu and Suzie, you guys stay here. I don't know how long we'll be gone, but I'm sure that Dark Ryo left someone in charge while he's gone.  Stay here and continue the fight."

            Kazu nodded. "All right, good luck man."

            "I hope I see you again," Suzie said.

            "I can't hold it for much longer!" Ryo shouted.

            Tai walked over to Emperor Tai. "What about you?" he asked, "Are you coming?"

            He stared at his double. "You would really allow me to come with you?"

            Tai nodded. "Yeah."

            Emperor Tai hesitated, then smiled slightly. "All right. I still have the crests powers that I stole. I might be able to seal Milleniumon away again."

            "I don't like this," Rika whispered to Takato.

            "I don't either, but he's right. He might be able to seal away Milleniumon."

            "Guys!" Ryo shouted.

            "Okay," Tai said, "Let's go!"

            Tai, Kari, Ryo, Takato, Rika, Sara, Sam, Derwood, and Emperor Tai jumped inside before it closed.


	26. Ten Faces of Evil: Part 1

Chapter 26

            Ten Faces of Evil: Part 1

            For the third time in the past two weeks, Tai woke up in the same body that he fell asleep in. He could remember jumping into the glowing portal, but everything that happened afterwards was a complete blur. He didn't know why he thought he could remember anything; he never remembered the trip between worlds before, so why would he now?

            He looked around and saw that the others were lying next to him. "Kari! Takato, Sara, guys, are you okay?"

            They slowly started to wake up. "Yeah, I think so," Kari said, "What happened? Are we back home?"

            Everyone began looking around. They were lying on a rocky landscape, and the sky was dark and almost completely black. "Where are we?" Takato asked.

            "Is this your world?" Rika asked.

            "It can't be," Kari said in shock, "There's nothing here, it's a wasteland! It can't be our world."

            "Milleniumon is very powerful," Ryo said, "With his help, they could have turned an entire continent into dust. But, I think you're right, Kari."

            "What do you mean, Ryo?" Sara asked.

            "I'm usually able to feel my dark double, and I know that he can feel me. Now while that doesn't let either of us focus into each other's exact location, I can't feel Dark Ryo at all. He's not here, so I don't think that this is your world."

            "Maybe they already left here?" Sam suggested.

            "Maybe," Derwood said, "But we were right behind them, how could they do this destruction so fast?"

            Everyone looked over their shoulders at their new silent partner. "What about you?" Tai asked, "Do you know anything?"

            Emperor Tai crossed his arms and stared at his double. "I was tricked, remember? I don't have any idea what their plans were. All I knew was that Dark Ryo wanted to rule all reality."

            "How?" 

            Emperor Tai smiled at him. "When I got my power, it's what I wanted."

            "How come you didn't go along with them?" Rika asked, "I mean, I heard what you wanted from them, but still."

            Emperor Tai crossed his arms. "I have had my fill of evil rulers."

            "Is that why you came with us? Because you wanted to change your past, or are you planning to kill us all in our sleep?"

            Emperor Tai smirked at her. "I can tell we're not going to get along."

            "Maybe we should start looking around," Sara said.

            "I guess that's the best we can do," Tai said, "Let's go."

            The group walked through the wasteland for hours until they reached a large octagon shaped building. There were two tall octagon shaped towers attached to each side.  "What's that?" Kari asked.

            "It looks like a fortress or something," Takato said.

            "Maybe someone's inside that can tell us where we are?" Sam suggested.

            "I don't know," Rika said, "It looks like it's been abandoned for a long time."

            "I think I see a door," Ryo pointed to two double doors on the side of the building that were open. "Should we go inside?"

            "Might as well," Tai said, "Come on, but be careful."

            They entered inside and walked down a long and dark hallway. The walls were decayed and debris lying along the floor. "What the heck is this place?" Tai asked.

            "It does look familiar," Kari said.

            The group walked past a room that looked like a lounge room.  They continued down the hall until they looked into a courtroom, then a row or prison cells. "I know where we are!" Sam shouted. She pointed at Emperor Tai,  "It's the Digidestined Complex from your world!"

            Emperor Tai looked around. "You're right! But how did you know that?"

            Sara looked to Sam. "We were here before, weren't we?"

            The blond girl nodded. "Yeah, but you were never in this part, how did you know what the prison section looked like?"

            "Yeah," Tai said, "I was here, and I didn't even recognize it."

            "We're missing the obvious question," Derwood said, "What happened here?"

            "Maybe we should look in Davis's office," Emperor Tai said, "There might be some clues there."

            The group walked back down the hall and found their way to Davis's office. Inside they couldn't find any clues. "Well this was a waste," Rika sighed.

            "We can't waste time here anyway," Takato said, "We've got to find Dark Ryo and Milleniumon." He turned to Ryo. "Can you get us there?"

            Ryo shook his head. "I don't know why, but I don't seem to be able to control any of my temporal energy."

            They heard a small scream and when they spun around, they saw Sora standing in the hall.

            "Sora!" Tai and Emperor Tai shouted.

            The redhead stared at the group. "Who are you?!" she shouted, "What are you doing here?"

            "Calm down!" Takato said, holding up his hands, "We're not here to hurt you."

            Sora looked at the group and caught her breath. "You really scared me." She stared right at Emperor Tai. "You're alive?"

            "We're sorry," Sara bowed, "What happened here?"

            Sora sighed. "We were attacked! It was horrible, they came without mercy, and destroyed our base!"

            "Who?" Emperor Tai shouted.

            Sora mentioned down the hall, "Come on. I'll show you." She walked down the hall, and the others followed.

            Emperor Tai whispered to Tai. "Did you notice that she wasn't that surprised to see either of us? Or Kari?"

            Tai nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

            "And if this enemy destroyed the base, where are the others? And why is she walking around in the open?"

            Tai crossed his arms. "Something's not right here."

            Sora lead them into a room that looked like an auditorium. She ran onto the small stage. "Stay right there, I'm going to turn on the projector."

            "The projector?" Emperor Tai asked, "What for?"

            "I'm going to show you." She pressed a few buttons behind the podium and the projector screen started to show pictures of the Digidestined security cameras. The doors leading out into the Digital World suddenly blew open and a wave of darkness swept inside. The Digidestined on the screen began to scream in pain as the darkness swept over them. The dark force started to blast holes in the wall and the entire complex shook. 

            "What's going on here, Sora?" Emperor Tai demanded.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

            "You're not very convincing!" he shouted, "You weren't surprised to see that I was alive, you weren't surprised to see that Kari was alive! And you're showing us footage that never could have happened! This complex has a nearly infallible security watch! I doubt a wave of darkness could approach the front doors without a group of Digidestined guards waiting for it! And you're grinning while you watch the death and destruction!"

            The others were in awe as Sora started laughing. "I guess I can't fool you can I? I wasn't surprised to see you because I already knew that you survived your execution!"

            "What? How?"

            She started giggling. "I knew you were coming all along, and I've prepared something special for you! You're going to pay for what you did here, your all going to pay!"

            "All of us?" Rika shouted, "What did we do?"

            Sora pointed at Tai and Kari, "These two, along with Sara and Sam, ruined my plan to kill your parents!"

            "My parents?" Emperor Tai gasped, "You wanted to kill Mom and Dad? But..but why?"

            "To even the score!" she shouted, "You killed Matt, not to mention thousands of defenseless digimon! If only my assassin had killed your parents, then this wouldn't be necessary, but that Tai and Kari, along with their two friends, stopped my plans! Now it's time for revenge on all of you!"

            "What about us?" Derwood demanded.

            "Takato, Rika, Ryo, and Derwood, you are all guilty of helping them!" she shouted. She held up her hands and two digimon walked out of the back of the stage and stood at her side.

            "Agumon," Emperor Tai said, "It's..it's you… And Gabumon, you're here. But Sora, what happened to Biyomon?"

            She grinned. "That pink flamingo was a little too wimpy for me, so I got rid of her."

            "You're not the Sora that I remember.."

            "No I'm not!" she screamed, "I am what you made me when you killed Matt!" She held up her hands and her clothes started to change. Her orange sweater flowed down her body into a sleeveless black dress with a ragged hemline. Her jeans became black tights and the sleeves of her sweater merged behind her to form a ragged cape that ended at her waist. "I am now the Digimon Queen!"

            "Digimon Queen?"

            "That's right!" she said with glee, "And your punishment will now begin!"

            "What punishment?" Takato asked.

            "You will be sent through five worlds, with two of my loyal Digidestined in each world. You will, unfortunately, have to change bodies as well. Each one of you will change worlds as you sleep, and while Tai and Kari will actually change bodies, the others will have their bodies changed. Too bad Tai, I know you were getting use to that one."

Tai frowned. "What worlds?"

"You've been to three, and two that will blow you away! You will need to fight each one of the Digidestined there in order to progress." She smiled, "If you manage to make it through each world, you'll have the pleasure of fighting against me. If you can even beat me, then you're free to go. But be warned, if you die, hahaha!"

"What about those of us that don't have Digimon?" Derwood asked.

Sora smirked. "You'll soon be receiving your own partner."

            "Why are you doing this?" Tai shouted.

            "To make you pay!" she laughed. She raised her hand and the room started spinning. "Good luck!" she laughed. 

            Tai tried to stay awake, but he felt his eyes start to drop. He couldn't stop it, he soon fell asleep.

            When Tai opened his eyes he was surprised to find that he was actually okay. He had a fear that Sora had killed them, but he was alive! Now the only problem was figuring out what world he was in. He looked around and felt something in the pit of his stomach. He was once again lying in a crib. He was a baby again.

            He was so upset that he started crying again. He stopped when he heard the door open. He turned his head and saw Kari wearing a yellow pajamas running inside. "Tai," she said, "We're back in this world!"

            Tai would have nodded, but he couldn't.

            Kari sighed. "How did we get stuck in this thing, anyway? We've got to get back to our world before Milleniumon destroys it." She smiled slightly, "I bet you want to get out of there, don't you?"

            Tai glared at her.

            "I'm not going to lift you up again." She ran over to the door and shouted. "Mom, Tai's awake."

            "All right, I'm coming." 

            Kari stepped aside as Mrs. Kamiya walked inside and smiled at her baby son. "Good morning, Tai." She lifted him up and walked over to the changing table. "Kari, why don't you watch some t.v. until I make breakfast?"

            "Uh, okay." She ran into the living room and sat down in front of the television. She heard her mother walk out and put Tai into the playpen, and then walked into the kitchen. Kari snuck over to Tai. "Don't worry," she whispered, "Sora said that the others would be here too. We just have to find them."

            Mrs. Kamiya walked in and lifted Tai out of his playpen. "Breakfast is ready."

            Kari shut the t.v. off and ran into the kitchen. While she ate, she giggled at seeing her older brother sitting in a high chair and being feed but their mother. After breakfast, Kari watched more t.v. until her mother said, "You'd better get dressed. Sora's going to be here soon."

            "Okay Mommy!" she said. She jumped up and ran into her room. She saw that there was an outfit lying on the bed for her and frowned. Her mother must have left it there. She took off her nightgown and pulled on the coveralls, t-shirt and stockings. She walked back out and saw Sora was already standing in the hall, with Tai in the stroller. "Hi Kari!" she waved.

            Kari forced a smile. "Where are we going today?"

            "Well, I thought we might go back to the park. How's that?"

            "Okay, I guess," she said.

            Sora smiled. "That's a very pretty dress you have on. I had something like that when I was your age."

            "So did I," Kari muttered.

            "I'll be home from work a little later tonight," Mrs. Kamiya said.

            Sora nodded. "Okay, we'd better go."

            When they reached the park, Kari saw that there was a group of cheerleader girls around nine or ten owing and awing over a soccer player who looked a lot like a ten year old Michael. Two of the cheerleaders were ten-year-old versions of Mimi and Yolei. An adult man dressed in a business suit that looked exactly like Joe. He was sitting on a park bench, reading a newspaper. Matt and Tk were there too, and they looked normal. They were playing basketball on the court. 

            Sora set up their picnic blanket next to the cheerleaders. When they saw baby Tai, they ran over and started making a fuss over him.

            "He's so cute!" one of the girls said.

            "Is he your younger brother?" another one asked.

            Sora shook her head. "I'm just his baby sitter."

            Mimi and Yolei started to tickle his stomach. "Can I pick him up?" Mimi asked.

            "Just be careful," Sora said.

            Mimi lifted Tai up and started rocking him back and forth. Yolei started tickling the base of his feet.  Kari felt disgusted at the 'cute' scene, so she ran over to the swings. She was surprised to see that the rest of the group was there. Derwood, Sara, Sam, Takato, and Ryo were there all five years old. She saw that there was a orange haired girl standing with them, one that looked very mad that she was wearing a frilly yellow dress. 

            "Rika," Kari said, "You look..nice."

            She crossed her arms and glared at her. "I'm going to kill that Digimon Queen for doing this to me."

            Kari looked at them. "Where's Emperor Tai?"

            "Right here."

            The kids turned and saw Emperor Tai walk over, but as his normal age and clothes. "How did you get out of having your body changed?" Derwood asked.

            Emperor Tai shrugged. "Probably because of the amount of time I spent changing worlds. Or it could be that the Dark Ring that I created to keep me from changing has merged with me. In any event, I'm not going to be changing. Where is my 'other?"

            Kari mentioned over her shoulder to where the cheerleaders were still cooing over Tai. "He's probably enjoying himself."

            Takato growled and slammed his fist into the swing. "Darn it! What are we doing here! We've got to stop Milleniumon and Hypnos, we can't get caught in this…game!"

            Ryo placed his hand on Takato's shoulder. "We'll get through this, just keep calm."

            "Speaking of which," Rika said, "What about those Digidestined that we have to fight?"

            "I saw a few of them," Kari said, "Mimi and Yolei are playing with Tai, Joe's reading a newspaper, Matt and Tk are playing basketball and Michael's practicing soccer. Sora said that two of them would attack us, but which two?"

            "And who's going to fight?" Derwood asked, "That Digimon Queen also that said only two of us would be fighting? I know some fighting moves, but I'm not going to be of much use against a Digimon."

            Ryo shrugged. "I guess we've just got to wait until.."

            They heard the group of cheerleaders start to scream. They ran over and saw that Sora was holding Tai tightly as the cheerleading girls were still screaming. Kari and the others saw what they were screaming about. Hovering in the sky were Joe and Michael. 

"What's going on?" Sara asked.

"Look at their arms!" Sam shouted, "Dark Rings!"

The Dark Rings started to glow and both of them stared down at the Kari and the others. Joe's eyes started to glow and the adult regressed in age until he was a teenager. Michael, however, _grew in age until he was a teenager. _

            "Hello, Tamers!" Joe called, "We are your opponents in this world."

            "That's right," Michael said, "Kari and Sam, you will have to fight us."

            "What?" Sam shouted, "Us?"

            "Yes," Joe said.

            Kari shook her head. "But, how am I supposed to fight?"

            Joe raised his hand and a flowing circle appeared. A figure shot through it and slammed into the ground in front of Kari. When the brown haired girl saw who it was, she gasped. "Gatomon?"

            The small cat looked up. "K..Kari, is that you?"

            "Yes!"

            "What happened to you?" she asked, "You look like a little girl..wait a minute, you were acting like a little girl before. What's going on here?"

            "What are you talking about?" she asked.

            "Be quiet!" Joe shouted, "Let's get started!"

            Gommamon appeared in front of Joe and Betamon appeared in front of Michael. Both digimon flowed into their partners. Joe's fingers became webbed and a spiked shell appeared on his back. Michael's body became more serpent like and a long tail emerged from his waist.

            Kari stared at her hand and her digivice appeared in her hand. "All right!"

            Sam jumped next to Kari and Gatomon. "Okay, I can fight without a digimon. Gatomon, are you ready?"

            Gatomon shook her head. "I don't know what's going on here, but if Kari needs me, then I'm ready."

            The five-year-old Kari hold out her digivice. "Now Gatomon!"

            "Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

            Joe and Michael landed on the ground and stared at the three girls. "Alright," Joe said, "Kari, you and I will be fighting."

            Michael turned to Sam. "That leaves you and me."

            She just nodded and formed claws from her fingernails. She jumped forward and tried to slash Michael, but he fired a blast of water at her. She flipped over and rolled into a tree. Michael whipped his tail around to hit her, but all he was able to do was destroy the tree. Sam had safely moved out of the way.

            The others watched as Angewomon and Joe battled along the ground. "How can this be happening?" Emperor Tai asked, "There's no way that Sora could have this kind of power. How could she have knowledge of other realities? How could she have brought the other Digidestineds here? She infected the Digidestineds of this world and turned them into their duplicates from my world! She can't be able to this!"

            Sara looked to him. "Joe and Michael are both wearing Dark Rings, maybe she got her new abilities from your fortress in your world?"

            "How did you know about my fortress?" he asked.

            Sara was going to respond when they heard the cheerleaders cry out. They turned back and saw that Angewomon was firing arrows at Joe, but he was blocking them with his hammer. He finally swung his hammer at her, creating a blast of lightning that sent Angewomon in the ground.

Michael was batting his tail at Sam, and she was trying to attack it with her claws. He was able to hit her, making her land next to Sam.

Kari sat on the sidelines and watched. She had to figure out a way for them to win the fight without hurting Joe or Michael. She didn't know what would happen, but she was pretty sure that the Joe and Michael of this world would die. Wait.."Angewomon, Sam!" she shouted, "You've got to destroy those Dark Rings!"

"Of course!" Emperor Tai shouted, "Those Rings! Why didn't I see that before?"

Angewomon and Sam nodded at each other. Angewomon fired her arrows at Joe, while Sam shot a purple blast at Michael. Both of the Digidestineds tried to dodge, but the attacks were dead on. Angewomon's arrow hit Joe's Dark Ring, and Sam's attack destroyed the Dark Ring on Michael's shoulders. Both of their bodies started spasming, and soon Joe returned to an adult, while Michael returned to a ten-year-old.

"I'm glad that's over," Kari breathed in relief.

"Kari!"

She turned around and Sora, with Tai in her arms running towards her. "Kari, what's going on here?"

"Um, you see…"

Sora stared at Kari for a few seconds, then shook her head. "Kari, what happened? I must have blacked out for a second."

Kari opened her mouth to respond, but saw Sara and Ryo run over to her. "Hi, Miss Sora," Sara bowed.

"Do I know you?"

"Yeah," Ryo said, "We're Kari's friends, remember?"

Sora shook her head again. "Yeah, I guess."

Kari stared at Sara and Ryo, then realized that they had used their weird power to erase memories. She looked around and saw that everyone, including Joe and Michael, were acting like nothing had happened. She felt a shiver go up her spine. She hoped that they wouldn't use that power on her.

Sora put Tai back on the blanket. "I'm just going to sit down for a little bit." She sat down in her chair and closed her eyes.

Kari turned to Gatomon. "It's good to see you, but what were you saying before?"

The cat nodded. "Okay, when I woke up this morning, you were acting really weird, like you were a little girl."

Kari turned to Sara and Sam. "When I change worlds, does the Kari of that world go to _my body?"_

Ryo nodded. "Yes. While Sara and Sam helped you and Tai, I was keeping an eye on the Kari's that entered your body. That's where I was all of this time."

"What about Tai?" Emperor Tai asked.

"Since you now inhabit his body, they have been entering the cat body that's still in that world. I've always made sure that they never remember anything."

Takato ran over. "Wait, do you know Milleniumon?"

Gatomon spoke, "I ha-" She wasn't able to finish as a circle appeared in the sky and started to pull her into the sky. "Kari!"

"Gatomon, come back!" she called, but it wasn't any use. Gatomon returned into the circle and vanished.

"She must have gone back to your world," Ryo said, "We've got to get there!"

"We will," Takato said, "We will."

The group spent the rest of the day pretending to be five-year-olds as they played on the swings and the jungle gym. All except Derwood, who was too serious to have any fun and Emperor Tai, who was still a teenager, so he stayed out of sight. Soon, Sora came over and told Kari it was time to leave.

"I guess I'll see you in the next world," Kari said as she waved goodbye and ran over to Sora.

After returning to their apartment, Kari and Tai spent the remainder of the afternoon living their roles until it was time for bed. Tai was already in his crib, and Kari was outside looking at him. "I hope that in the next world, you'll be able to help me more."

Tai just stared at her.

Kari giggled. "I know that you can't talk, but I bet you're pretty mad at me, huh?"

The door to Tai's room opened and Mrs. Kamiya walked in. "Kari, it's time for bed."

"I'm coming Mommy," she called. She ran out of the room, and Mrs. Kamiya turned out the light. Tai closed his eyes and was soon asleep.


	27. Ten Faces of Evil: Part 2

Chapter 27:

Ten Face of Evil: Part 2

            When Tai woke up the next morning, he was happy to find out that he was older then a baby. He walked out of his room and found a mirror in the bathroom. He was twelve years old. Well, it was better then being in diapers.

            He walked into the living room and past Kari's room. A sixteen-year-old Kari came out. "Tai, I guess you're my younger brother again, huh?"

            Tai nodded. "Yeah. I wonder where the others are?"

            Kari shrugged. "I guess we'll find them soon. I'm kinda hungry. Let's get some breakfast."

            The two siblings made their morning meal, then sat down at the table and started eating. Their mother came out of her room and yawned a few times. "Good morning."

            "Good morning," they both said.

            Mrs. Kamiya smiled. "I bet you two are excited about your trip."

            "Trip?" Tai asked without thinking.

            "Yes," his mother said, "You are Kari are going to beach today, right?" She looked at the calendar on the fridge. "Yeah, today."

            "Oh yeah, that rip!" he said, "Sure, I remember."

            Mrs. Kamiya smiled. "I guess you're just excited huh? I know you've been planning this for the same day when Agumon and Gatomon went visiting in the Digital World." She walked into the bathroom.

            "Agumon and Gatomon are in the Digital World?" Kari asked, "I guess that means they won't be able to help us."

            Tai nodded. "Yeah. But should we go to the beach? Is that where our next battle is suppose to be?"

            Kari shrugged. "Remember the last world? We just went to the park, and everyone was there, I bet that they'll be waiting at the beach." She looked at the clock. "I guess we'd better leave soon."

            Tai nodded. "I hope our others already packed."

            Kari nodded. "Me too."

            Tai went into his room. Luckily, the other Tai had packed his beach bag, which was hanging next to his dresser. He found his swimming trunks hanging there too. He quickly pulled them on. He pulled on a shirt, grabbed his bag and walked outside. Kari was already there, wearing a yellow bathing suit and a pair of jean shorts. "Ready?"

            Tai nodded.

            Kari nocked on their mother's door. "Mom, we're leaving!"

            "Okay, have fun."

            Kari and Tai walked into the hall and into the elevator. When they reached the floor level, they were surprised to see three other members of their group. Sara and Takato were both ten-year-olds, both wearing blue bathing suits; Sam was sixteen, with a black suit. "Hi," Sam waved.

            "I'm glad you guys are here," Tai said, "But where are the others?"

            "We don't know," Sara said, "We all woke up in an alley, but they weren't with us."

            Kari shrugged. "I hope they know to go to the beach."

"We all woke up wearing bathing suits, and carrying duffle bags and sunscreen. Not to mention a key for a certain washroom on the boardwalk," Takato said, "I think the Digimon Queen wants to lead us there."

 Kari walked over to her red car. "I think I have room for everyone, but it's going to be a tight fit."

            "Who cares?" Sam asked, "Let's just hit the beach!"

            They drove down to the beach without any incident. After finding the right beach to match the keys they had, they set up their towels under the umbrella. Sara looked around. "Should we look for the others first, or the Digidestined fighters?"

            "I see one," Sam said. She mentioned to the boardwalk where the Tachikawa family was walking onto the beach. Mr. and Mrs. Tachikawa had a five-year-old Mimi wearing a pink bathing suit with a skirt attached with them. "Are there any others?"

            "Is that Catherine?" Kari asked.

            They turned the other way and saw an adult woman around 25 lying on a beach blanket. She had blond hair and was wearing a green bathing suit. Tai looked hard at the woman. "Yeah, that's her. Is that it?"

            "Isn't that Izzy's parents?" Sam asked.

            Tai and Kari looked behind them. Mr and Mrs. Izumi were setting up their blanket. Both looked very young, and they had a young baby boy with them. "I guess that's Izzy," Tai said.

            "Hey, there you guys are!"

            Takato smiled when he saw who was calling out to them. Rika, Ryo, Derwood, and Emperor Tai were walking over to them. Rika was an older teenager, wearing a black suit. Derwood and Ryo were trailing behind her, both around nine or ten. It looked like Rika was either a babysitter or an older relative that had to take the younger kids with her.  Emperor Tai was still wearing his normal attire. "Aren't you hot in that?" Rika asked.

            He shrugged. "I don't feel the heat that much any more."

            "Oh."

            Kari smiled. "Come on, let's at least try to enjoy ourselves before Sora sends those Digidestineds after us."

            Kari, Rika, and Sam were more then happy just to lie on their beach towels and tan. The younger ones, Tai, Ryo, Takato, Sara, and even Derwood decided to have fun in the ocean. Emperor Tai just sat in a chair under the umbrella with his eyes closed.

            Rika turned over and saw him. "Can I ask you something?" 

            "What?"

            "If you're so unhappy, why do you keep going on?"

            "Rika!" Kari and Sam snapped.

            "No, if she wants to know, fine. I never gave into death because I wanted to bring Matt and Kari back to life. Alice promised me that if I helped Dark Ryo, I could get my wish. I guess there's no way that's going to happen now. Now I want revenge against them, and to save Sora, from herself."

            Rika chuckled. "That Digimon Queen wanabe, huh? Well, fine."

            In the water, the other 'children' were playing in the water. Tai wanted to know something about Takato for a while, so he was going to ask. "Takato, how did you start as a Digidestined."

            "I'm not a Digidestined," he said with a smile, "My partner was Guilmon, and I believe it or not, I drew him. Somehow my card reader became a digivice and the picture of Guilmon merged with it. That's when I got my partner.  We were able to get a mega digimon by merging with our partners, but, Henry says that by doing that, we merged together almost perfectly. That's why we're merged together like this."

            Tai nodded. "I get it."

            "I wish I knew where I was from," Sara sighed, "Sometimes I fell like I don't belong anywhere."

            Derwood chuckled. "At least you don't know, I've been to so many worlds, I don't really even remember what my world looks like. "

            "I can probably take you there sometime," Ryo offered, "It just make take some time to find it."

            Derwood nodded. "Thanks."

            While the Tai and the others were busy playing in the water, the five-year-old Mimi walked up the boardwalk and into the nearest women's bathroom. The adult Catherine did the same. Catherine smiled slightly at the young girl as she walked inside. Neither of them was able to make it to the stalls, as they both fell to the ground.

            Mimi started to grow older until she reached the age of a 16-year-old girl. Her bathing suit with the small skirt split at the center and shrunk until it became a pink bikini. Catherine started to grow younger until she became a fourteen year old girl. Her suit shrunk into a two piece version.

            Both girls stood up and looked at each other and grinned. "We made it," Mimi said.

            Catherine nodded. "I know."

            "Let's strike at one!

            "Now!"

            Tai and the others were just walking up from the water when they noticed that the Tachikawas were looking for their daughter. "I wonder where Mimi went," Tai said..

            Sara looked over to the other blanket. "Catherine's gone too."

            "Wait," Takato said, "Do you think that those two..?"

            "They are," Derwood said. He pointed at the boardwalk where two teenage versions of Mimi and Catherine were flirting with two teenage boys.

            They started running up to their blankets to warn the others. They weren't in tine as a large vine shot up through the sand. The people started screaming and running from the beach. The only ones there were still left were Tai's group, and Mimi and Catherine.

            Tai pointed his finger at them. "Alright, let's get this over with! Who's fighting?"

            Catherine laughed slyly and started counting them off. "Ennie, Mennie, mine, moe, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, enni, mennie, inne, moe!" Her finger was pointing on Sara.

            Mimi nodded and did the same thing with her finger landing on Tai. "You and Sara will be fighting! Ha!" An image of Lillymon appeared in front of Mimi and an image of Floramon appeared in front of Catherine. Both merged with their partners, turning them into teenage girls with green skin and leaves sticking out from their bodies.

            "Wait!" Tai shouted, "I don't have a partner!"

            Mimi snapped her fingers and an orange dinosaur appeared in front of him. "Agumon!"

            His partner spun around and stared at him "Tai? How are you here? I thought that…"

            "What?"

            "Shut up!" Catherine snapped, "We're fighting, now!"

            "Gatomon warned me about this," Agumon said, "Okay Tai, if we have to fight them, then digivolve me!"

            Tai looked at his hands and smiled as his digivice appeared. "Great. Digivolve!"

            "Agumon digivolve to Greymon! Greymon digivolve to Metalgreymon!"

            Sara's staff appeared in her hands. "I'll take Catherine."

            Metal Greymon nodded. "Then Mimi's mine!"

            The flower girl giggled. "If you think you can!"

            When the fight began, Tai shouted out to his partner. "You've got to attack the dark rings! On her arms!"

            "Right!" Metalgreymon nodded. He fired his claw at Mimi's arm, but a whirlwind of leaves stopped the claw. Mimi made a few motions with her hands and a group of sharp vines shop up from the group, which made a cage to trap Metalgreymon.

            Sara grabbed her staff and started firing balls of light at Catherine. The French girl used a power similar to Mimi's and made a criss-cross of vines in front of Sara. Another group of vines shot up behind her. She didn't let that stop her, and destroyed the vines in front of her. She ran towards Catherine and fired a blast from her staff at the black ring on Catherine's arm, but another vine came up to block it. Sara quickly fired another blast which did hit the black ring. It cracked and fell from her arm.

            Metalgreymon slashed his claw across the vines and jumped free. He fired his two missiles as the floating Mimi, but she fired a version of Lillymon's cannon to destroy the missiles. But that was only a diversion and his claw slashed the dark ring on her arm. 

            When both dark rings where gone, the vines on the beach disappeared and Mimi and Catherine returned to the five-year-old and the 25-year-old. Metalgreymon dedigivolved to Agumon. They quickly ran and hid between two buildings before the other people started coming back.

            "Two more down," Derwood said.

            Emperor Tai crossed his arms. "I don't understand why Sora is doing this. Our opponents don't seem to be so tough or strong. Why would she even bother?"

            "Sora?" Agumon asked, "What has Sora have to do with this?"

            Tai turned to him. "Agumon, what's going on back home? Did Milleniumon make it there yet?"

            Agumon was going to open his mouth to reply, but he vanished in a bright light. 

            "Darn it!" Takato sighed, "How are we supposed to get any information, if they kept vanishing like that?"

            "Since Tai and Kari already fought," Ryo said, "I guess we won't get anything until we get there."

            Emperor Tai looked around the corner of the building and saw that Mimi was being reunited with her parents, and the adult Catherine just shook her and went back to her blanket.

            After Ryo used his power to make sure that no one remembered the battle, the group decided to leave as soon as they could. It was already late in the afternoon, so when they got back to the city, it was already night. Tai and Kari left the others and went back to their apartment. After spending the rest of the night just hanging out, it was time for bed. Both closed their eyes and fell asleep.

            Sorry about this one being so short, it'll be longer next chapter, promise.


	28. Ten Faces of Evil: PArt 3

Chapter 28:

Ten faces of Evil, part 3

            Sora, the Digimon Queen sat on her throne and stared at an image of the Digidestined defeating Mimi and Catherine. "They're winning! Darn it! How can they be beating my forces?"

            Agumon and Gabumon sat on either side of her. "We should fight," Agumon said.

            "Yeah," Gabumon said, "They'll pay when we get through with them."

            "No," Sora said, "I gave my word that once they beat the others, they can fight me. I can't go back now, but they're getting too powerful."

            "Maybe I can help, my lady."

            She turned to the left and saw a dark figure stepping out of the shadows. "Who are you?"

            He grinned. "You can call me, Dark Ryo."

            "Dark Ryo? What do you want?"

            He laughed as he walked over to her. "I, too, want to make sure that they are killed, before they interfere with my plans. I can help you."

            "You're pretty powerful. You can already bend reality, why do you want to work with me?"

            "Those worlds have become your domain," he said, "I could break through your barriers, but I thought it would be more civil if I simply asked for your permission to enter one of them."

            Sora smiled. "Maybe we can work together.."

            When Tai awoke the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his room. He was sitting in a chair in a hospital waiting room. That was strange enough, but he when he looked down at himself, he sighed. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a matching sweater. It was his chest that made him sigh.

            "I'm a teenage girl again," she sighed. She looked down the hall, and saw her mother and father walking towards her.

            "Tai, you're awake," her mother sighed, "I'm sorry, there's no change in Kari's condition."

            "Change?" she asked.

            Her mother shook her head and started crying. Her father sat her down and started to comfort her. "They put Kari in a room down the hall," he said, "You can go see him now."

            Tai nodded and ran down the hall until she past a window into a room where a familiar teenage boy was lying in a bed. There were another group of boys and girls standing in front of the window. When they turned around, Tai gave a small gasp. 

            A red-headed boy crossed his arms. "Does it really look that bad?" he asked.

            "Rika?" Tai asked.

            "Yeah," he snarled, "All of the boys became girls and the girls became boys. I've got to say that I don't like this one bit. First she turns me into a five-year-old in a stupid fairy dress, then makes me some sort of babysitter, and now this! That Digimon Queen is going to pay!"

            "Me either," Sam said, rubbing his arms, "I never liked becoming the opposite sex."

            Sara didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to care that she was now a boy. He was just staring through the window with Takato, Ryo and Derwood, now all girls. Emperor Tai was there too, but he was still the same.

            "What happened to Kari?" Tai asked, pushing to the window.

            "I overheard your parents talking, "Takato said, placing her hand on Tai's shoulder, "Kari's body seems to be slowing down, like it doesn't have enough energy at all."

            "But how?"

            Emperor Tai frowned. "Probably when I took the energy from this Kari's body. I..I had no idea that this would happen!"

            Tai stared at him. "Well, put it back!"

            "I can't," he sighed, "I used it to free Milleniumon, remember?"

            "Tai," Sara said, "Your sister isn't dying, this Tai's brother is."

            "But if she dies while she's inside his body, won't she die too?"

            Sara just looked to the ground.

            "Here comes your mother," Derwood whispered.

            Tai turned around and saw Mrs. Kamiya walking towards them. Emperor Tai walked down the hall, as if he was looking for someone else. "Oh, Tai," she sniffled, "Why don't you go to soccer practice? I'll call you as soon as anything happens."

            "But Mom…"

            "We don't know if anything's going to happen," she said, "Why don't you try to take your mind off of it for a few hours."

            Tai nodded. "Alright, I'm going."

            The group walked to the entrance, where Emperor Tai was waiting. "I'll keep an eye on Kari," he said.

            "I'll stay too," Ryo said. She walked next to Emperor Tai, "You guys go. Don't forget that Sora's still going to send someone after us. If it's one of you, then these patients won't get hurt."

            "Maybe Sam should stay with them too,"

            "Okay," Sam nodded, "Sure."

            "Alright," Tai said, "Just tell me as soon as something happens."

            "No problem," Ryo said, "Just go."

            When they got back to the apartment, Tai wanted to change her clothes. She came out of her room wearing her soccer uniform. "You can't wear that!" Takato shouted.

            "Why not?"

            Derwood pointed to herself and Takato. "Look at what we're wearing!"

            She did. Derwood was wearing a blouse and a blue skirt. Takato had one a green jumper with a white shirt underneath. "So?"

            "Come on!" they both shouted.

            "I have soccer practice, remember?"

             "You're all very pretty," Rika snapped, "Can we just go?"

            "Maybe some of us should try to find the Digidestineds that are fighting us?" Sam asked.

            "Did you noticed that in the last two worlds, the Digidestined were ever we were?" Tai asked, "I bet they'll be at the soccer field."

            "Then lead the way," Takato said.

            "We'd don't have to go yet," Tai said, "I checked the schedule on the refrigerator. I don't have to be there for another hour."

            Rika laid onto the couch. "So, anything to do?"

            Tai walked back to her room. "Maybe she has a video or something." She started to go through the drawers of her desk when she found this Tai's diary.  She didn't feel right about looking through it, but she was Tai, so she opened it to the last entry and started reading. 

            "Dear Diary, I'm so afraid about my brother, what if he really does die? I don't even get to see him at all because of our stupid partners getting divorced! Maybe if he had stayed as that girl version, he'll be okay."

            Tai's eyes flew open when she read that. She flipped back a few entries to the date of the last time she had been in this reality and body.

            "Dear Diary, it's happened again. I've gone to another world. My parents think I just had a bad dream, but I know that it was real! The last time was when I woke up in that boy's body and I was stuck in that jail cell! Everything was really weird! Sora was a girl, and Tk was a boy! They kept talking about that trial, but luckily when I woke up the next day, I was back home.

            Now I went somewhere else yesterday. It was a lot nicer, but I was stuck in a cat's body! I was a cat! And my brother was there too, only he was a she! I don't know how he knew it was me, or how I know it was him, but I'm sure glad we did. That was so weird and scary. I'm just glad to be back. But, what if it happens again? Where will I go next time?"

            She flipped to the next page. "I've been studying different philosophers and their beliefs about reality. Everything's so confusing, and there are a hundred different ideas, but which is the right one? I'm sure if I talked to Izzy, he could tell me something. This is all so confusing."

            "Sara!" she shouted, "Get in here!"

            The blond boys, plus everyone else came running inside. "What?" he asked.

Tai shoved the diary into his face. "Read the last couple of pages."

            Sara did, with his eyes wide open in shock as he did. "She remembered!" 

            "What do you mean?" Tai asked.

            Sara fidgeted. "Usually, if a person switches across reality, when they switch back, they don't remember. You and Kari, though, haven't returned to your own bodies yet and you've been through so many different realities, you won't forget."

            "Wait," Tai said, "If I had gone back to my real body after the first time I switched reality, I wouldn't have remembered it?"

            "Probably," Sara said, "When you went through all of the realities you visited a second time, we were worried that they might remember, but no one did." He sighed, "I guess it's pretty obvious that this Tai did. We thought that she didn't, we were sure of it!"

            Takato crossed her arms. "You've got to work on your surveillance, then. I taught you better then this."

            "Do you think Kari, this Kari, I mean, remembers too?" Tai asked, "Maybe he won't want to go back?"

"Maybe we could help him, if we took him back home."

            "What?" Tai asked, "You're going to take him? What about this Tai? Will you take her too?"

            Sara shrugged. "I guess. But we can't do anything until we finish this stupid fighting thing with Sora. If we could only use our reality powers, but she's blocking us somehow."

            "Which brings up that other question," Tai asked, "Sora can't be doing this, but she is."

            "She always did have that temper," Sara sighed.

            "How did you know that?" Tai asked.

             "I don't know. That's really weird."

            "Hey Tai," Takato said, holding up the diary, "It also says in here that you've been making out with Matt lately."

            Tai shivered. "Oh, that's disgusting!"

            Sara thought for a second. "I think I should go and tell Sam and Ryo about this."

            Tai nodded. "Okay, we'll be at the soccer field."

            Sora turned to look at Dark Ryo. "What do you want to do?"

            Dark Ryo pointed at the image on the screen that showed Emperor Tai and Ryo in the hospital. "Allow one of my…associates to take care of them."

            "No," she said, "That Tai is mine. If you wish, you can take the other two."

            "I thought that Sam already fought in your little game," he said.

            Sora shrugged. "I said that my Digidestined would fight them, you're not one of my Digidestined."

            Dark Ryo grinned. "I am truly impressed by your deceptions." He bowed, "Thank you."

            "Just take care of your double," she said, "Given time he might be able to break through my shields."

            "I know, he is quite powerful himself. Don't worry, He will be taken care of."

            When Tai's group got to the soccer field, they saw that the other Digidestined were already there. The male Sora was on the soccer field, practicing. Mimi and the others were watching from the sidelines. "Hi Tai!" she waved them over, "Who are your friends?"

            "Oh, this is Rika, Takato, and Derwood."

            "What's up? So, are you going to play your best, Tai? Show those stupid boys what a girl can do?"

            "Yeah," she said, "Uh, Girl Power!" She elbowed Takato and Derwood.

            "Right," Takato said, "Show those stupid boys."

            Derwood just nodded. "Yeah, kick their butts."

            "You guys are so funny!" Mimi laughed.

            "Where's Matt?" Tai asked.

            "Don't worry," Mimi grinned, "Your boyfriend just went to see how your brother was doing."

            Tk ran down from the bleachers and over to them. The Tk of this world was a girl, and was wearing a green sundress. "We made a gift to give to your parents," she said, "I hope it makes your family feel better during this time."

             "Thanks," Tai said, "Oh, I'd better get going." She ran onto the field and gave Sora a high five. "Hey, Sora."

            "Hey, Tai. Sorry to hear about your brother," he said.

            "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be okay."

            Back at the hospital, Ryo kept fidgeting in her seat. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.

            "I can't stand this skirt," she said. She was wearing a grey skirt with a red sweater. "How do you deal with these things?"

            "Excuse me," he said.

            "Both of you be quiet!" Emperor Tai snapped, "Do you feel that?"

            Ryo and Sam were silent and did feel something. "Someone's opening a reality portal!" Ryo gasped. She stood up, "In the hospital! We've got to find it!"

            They split up and started running through the hospital halls until they meet up again. "I can't find anything," Ryo panted.

            "Neither could we," Emperor Tai crossed his arms, "Where the heck is it?"

            "Sam! Ryo! Tai!" Sara shouted.

            "What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

            "That's not important right now," he said, "We've got to get onto the roof, a portal just opened!"

            They quickly ran up to the roof. "I don't see anything," Emperor Tai said, "Where's the portal?"

            Ryo glanced around. "There!" she shouted. A large, human with four arms appeared on the roof. She tackled the others to the ground and they hid behind an air vent. 

"That was Quatro, wasn't it?" Sara asked.

            "Yeah," Ryo panted, "I don't know what he's doing here, but we can't let him run loose."

            Sara formed his staff in his hands while Sam's fingernails grew into long claws. "Okay, let's go." The foursome jumped at the creature from all sides. Sara used his staff to hit Quatro on the left side as his 'brother' dug his long claws into his back. He grabbed Sara with one of his arms and flung him into Ryo. She fell to the ground in a tangled mess with Sara. Quatro reached over his shoulder and grabbed Sam. He flung him into the mess. He then ripped an air vent and threw it at them. 

            They watched in horror as the vent was suddenly destroyed by a blast of red light. They spun around and saw Emperor Tai staring at them. "You're lucky I was here. Now, I will take care of your enemy."

            His body started to glow with red light and he launched at the fore-armed creature. He punched his fists into Quatro's stomach. He grabbed Emperor Tai with all four of his arms and slammed him into the roof. He stepped onto his back and jumped into the air. Before he could slam all of his weight onto him, Ryo, Sara, and Sam fired burst of energy from their body into Quatro. The mammoth fell onto his back. 

            Sam and Sara held Emperor Tai to his feet while Ryo examined Quatro. "Well, he wasn't as tough as…"

            Quatro suddenly reached up and grabbed the teenage girl. Ryo struggled to get free as Quatro dragged him into a glowing portal that had opened up behind him.   "Ryo!" Sara shouted. He and Sam dove into the portal. 

            "Wait!" Emperor Tai shouted, "You don't know what's on the other side!" He jumped through too. The portal closed and vanished.

            Tai's team had won their game, so their coach took them out for pizza in the nearest mall. The ones on the bleachers had come too. Tai, Derwood, Takato and Rika were sitting together in one of the booths. "I wonder where Sara is?" Tai asked, "I thought she was just going to talk to Ryo and Sam."

            "Maybe she doesn't know where we are," Derwood said.

            "She always shows up right where I am somehow," Tai said.

            "Tk's leaving," Rika said.

            They turned around and saw that Tk was leaving the pizza parlor and entering the mall itself. "I wonder where she's going?" Takato asked.

            The building suddenly started to shake. "Earthquake!" everyone shouted.

            There was an explosion nearby. "We've got to get out!" the coach said. Everyone ran out until only Tai, Takato, Rika and Derwood were left inside. Before they could get to the door, the ceiling caved in. They were trapped in the store.

            Tai suddenly heard screaming from behind her. She spun around and saw that Tk and Cody were hovering in the air. "Here we go again," she muttered as she ran to join Rika, Takato and Derwood. They watched as Tk and Cody's bodies twisted and shifted until their bodies were the same as the ones from Emperor Tai's world.

            She ran to join the rest of her team, who were staring up at the two floating, Dark-Ring wearing, digidestined. "Who's fighting this time?" she asked.

            Tk grinned as Patamon appeared in front of him and Armadillomon appeared in front of Cody. Both of the digimon merged into the human partners. Tk's ears grew into long bat ears and his skin turned Patamon's color. Cody's back turned into a large shell and his skin became yellow. Tk looked down and pointed at the group. "Rika, Takato, you are our fighters, now!"

            Rika grinned as he looked at Takato's green dress. "Are you sure you can fight wearing that?"

            She smirked back. "Of course." She formed a lance in her hands while Rika's staff appeared a second later. Rika ran at Cody, but leapt over his shoulder and landed beheaded him. He swung his staff at Cody's back, but his shell blocked the attack. He turned around and punched Rika into the ground.

            Takato was floating in front of Tk, who was smiling at her. "Just because you're a girl, doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

            "That was really so funny!" Takato said, "Don't quit your day job!" She attack with her lance, but Tk sent it flying back with a burst of wind.

            "They're not doing that bad, right?" Derwood asked.

            Tai shrugged. "Where's Sara? I thought she, er, I guess I mean HE, should have been back by now."

            "Maybe he got caught up or something," Derwood said.

            "Maybe..I've just got a bad feeling about this."

            Both girls turned back to the battle and saw that Takato and Rika were winning. Rika slammed her staff onto Cody's dark ring, breaking it apart. Tk flew to attack Takato, but the teenage girl jumped out of the way and landed behind him. She spun around quickly and used her staff to destroy the dark ring on Tk's arm. Without it, Tk changed back to the female version of himself and fainted in Takato's arms.

            Both Rika and Takato made their weapons disappear and carried their opponents over to Tai and Derwood. "Glad that's over," Rika panted.

            It was another thirty minutes before the rescue workers dug them out. Tai wanted to see how Kari was doing, so she ran home to change into a pair of jeans and an orange tank-top. When they got there, they were surprised to find out that more rescue workers were there. Matt was outside, talking to a police officer. 

            "Matt!" Tai shouted, "What just happened?"

            "Tai," he panted, "You're never going to believe this, but I could have sworn I saw a guy that looked just like you! I followed him onto the roof, where he and two other guys and a girl were fighting some giant thing with four arms. They all jumped into this glowing circle, then disappeared!"

            Takato, Derwood and Rika gasped. "A portal?"

            "What did they saw?" Matt asked.

            "Never mind," Tai shook her head, "What about Kari? How s..he doing?"

            Matt shrugged. "I don't know. The police want me to talk to them some more, I might be doing this all night. I'll see you tomorrow thought."

            Tai nodded and ran into the hospital with the rest of her group. Once they were alone, Takato said, "Ryo and the others were fighting Quatro, one of Dark Ryo's fighters from our world. They were pulled into the portal with him."

            "By why?" Tai asked.

            "It must have wanted Ryo," Rika said, "He could have probably have broken through Sora's shield, or whatever it is that's keeping us here. I bet Dark Ryo took him back to where ever he is now."

            "My world?" Tai asked.

            "Probably."

            Tai sighed and ran up the stairs until she reached Kari's floor. She ran to the window and looked inside, there had been no change. "Hang on, just a little longer," she said, "You'll be okay tomorrow, I promise."

            Sora watched on the monitor and smiled. "No, Tai, you won't. You're going to pay for stopping me, but as for your friends…" She turned and looked at another monitor, which had Emperor Tai and Sara and Sam wandering around a dark maze. "They're about to visit hell!"

            To be continued….

            Hey, I need some ideas for different worlds for them to visit. I need just two more, so if you readers can think of any, I'll really appreciate it. Thanks.


	29. Ten Faces of Evil: Part 4

Chapter 29:

Ten Faces of Evil: Part 4

            When Tai awoke, he looked himself over. He was a ten-year-old. He got out of bed, when he heard a loud yelp. He looked down and saw a white-haired cat. He called out a name, "Kari? Don't tell me that's you."

            The cat looked at Tai. "I guess you're my partner, huh?"

            Tai nodded. "You're finally a digimon like Gatomon, huh? I wonder if I'll become like Agumon in some world." He suddenly remembered what happened in the last world. "Are you okay? I mean, you were in the hospital!"

            Kari shook her head. "I.. I don't remember that. What are you talking about?"

            "It was the world where I was a girl, and you were a boy. You were unconscious in the hospital because Emperor Tai stole the energy from that Kari…and…we found out that my female double remembered about the reality switches!"

            "She what?"

            Tai nodded. "I read her diary. Before I went to sleep, I left her a message in the diary. I hope it didn't totally freak her out."

             Mrs. Kamiya poked her head inside her room. "Oh, you're awake. What do you guys want for breakfast?"

            "Uh, we're coming," Tai said, following her outside.

            After a long breakfast, Tai dressed in his usual clothes. There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Kamiya answered it. A second later she knocked on Tai's bedroom door. "Tai, it's Sora. Are you dressed?"

            "Uh, yeah."

            She opened the door and a ten-year-old Sora walked inside. "Are you ready?"

            "Ready for what?" he asked.

            "The reunion!" she sighed, "Mimimon's waiting downstairs in Mom's car. Aren't you are Hikarimon coming?"

            "Of course," Tai said.

            Sora sighed. "I just have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."

            Once she walked out of the room, Tai and Kari stared at each other. "What reunion?" Kari whispered.

            "I don't know," Tai said, "Hopefully, Takato, Derwood and Rika will be there."

            "What about the others?" she asked.

            "We lost Ryo, Sara, Sam and Emperor Tai," he said, "Matt said he saw them disappear into a portal while they were fighting against..something. I just hope they're okay."

                                                *      *        *

            When Emperor Tai opened his eyes, he saw that he was lying in a dark room. "Wow, what hit me?" he asked, sitting up.

            "The same thing that hit us."

            He turned and saw Sara and Sam lying next to him. "Where's Ryo?" he asked.

            "He's not here," Sam gasped.

            Sara looked around. "Where is here?"

            Emperor Tai stood up. "We'd better find out. Come on."  He led the two girls into a long hallways that was dark and decaying.

            "This is the Digidestined Base on File Island!" Sara gasped.

            Emperor Tai stared at her. "How did you know that? I didn't even recognize it."

            Sara held her head. "I..I don't know. I'm suddenly feeling really weird."

            "Me too," Sam said.

            They kept walking down the hall until they reached a room with a computer inside. "This is the security room," Emperor Tai said, "Hmm, they haven't reorganized in a while, I see." He started typing. 

            Sam looked around. "I hope Sora doesn't know we're here."

            Far above them, the Digimon Queen sat on her throne and watched Emperor Tai, Sara, and Sam on her monitors. "So, they're looking for the truth, huh? Well, maybe it's time to tell them!"

            She looked back to a monitor showing Tai and Kari. "Let's see how they're doing."

                        *          *          *

            Sora brought Tai and Kari to the school computer lab. Some of the digidestined were there, but those that were missing were digimon. Davis and Ken were there, but Davis had a blue dinosaur that looked like Izzy, and Ken had a green worm that looked like Yolei. Matt was there, with a Patamon creature that looked like TK. Cody had a digimon that looked like a cross between Gommamon and Joe, and they had meet Mimi in the car. Sora's partner looked like Mimi and Biyomon fused together.

            "Allright," Davis said, "Now that we're all here, are we ready to go?"

            "Sure," Sora said, "Lead the way."

            Davis nodded and held his digivice to the screen. "Digi-port open!"

            They arrived in a grassy field that was filled with humans and digimon. "Wow," Tai said, "This is a Digidestined Army." He turned to talk to the other Digidestined, but they had disappeared into the crowd. He did hear his name called, so he turned around and saw an ten-year-old version of Derwood walking towards him. At his feet were a small fox girl and a dinosaur boy.

            "Takato and Rika," Kari grinned, "You've become digimon too?"

            "We are digimon," Rika answered, "For our entire lives."

            Everyone looked at her. "Sorry," she said, shaking her head, "Being fully turned into digimon has awakened Renamon's memories in me. It's a really weird feeling to suddenly have your mind crammed full with another set of memories."

            Takato nodded. "Yeah, me too. I'm starting to feel like Guilmon."

            Tai looked around at the group of digidestined. "Anyone here could be our next opponents. An entire army against us."

            "Well," Kari said, "The only ones we haven't fought yet are Davis, Ken, Izzy and Yolei."

            Derwood crossed his arms and mentioned to them. "And guess who's partnered up."

            Tai frowned. "We have to keep our eyes on them."

            *                      *                      *                      *                      

Back in the Emperor Tai world, Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam were still playing with the computer. "I think I got something!" Emperor Tai called. The two girls jumped behind him and watch the computer monitor.

            The screen showed an image of Sora sitting inside of the Digidestined jail cell. She was still wearing her tennis uniform. "Hmm," Sara said, "This must be right after Kari and Tai stopped her from killing your parents."

            Inside of the computer monitor, Sora looked at the bars of the door when Davis came over. "Why did you do it, Sora?" he asked.

            "Because!" she shouted, "He took everything away from me!"

            "He's dead!" Davis shouted.

            "No he's not!" Sora shouted, "I know he's not! I know he's just sitting somewhere, watching me! I have to get even!"

            Davis stared at her for a long time before he said, "Your trial is going to be as soon as we can schedule one. I'm going to send Mina to talk to you."

            "I don't need a psychiatrist!" she snapped.

            He just turned and left.

            Sora placed her head in her hands and started crying. "I know he's alive, I know it." She laid down on the bed and placed her hands under the pillow. When she did she felt something weird. She moved the pillow and saw that there was a lump in the mattress. She reached inside and pulled out a large book. "What's this?"

            She opened it and started flipping through it. "This was Tai's? He was studying other..realities?" 

            She read the book long into the night until she finished it. "I don't believe it! If Tai was able to make it to another reality…then maybe that Tai that was killed really wasn't him! Then maybe the reason I can't remember even _being_ arrested is because someone else was me!" She stared at the book,  "I have to know."

            The image on the screen turned to static, then showed an image of Sora walking through a graveyard.

            "Wait a minute," Sam said,"How can we be seeing this?"

            "We shouldn't be seeing any of this," Emperor Tai mumbled, "There weren't any cameras in the prison cell. I mean, they may have added them after I left this world, but the only reason we're seeing this image is because she wants us too."

            Sara's eyes opened wide. "You mean, she knows we're here?"

            "Quiet!" Emperor Tai barked, "I'm watching this."

            On the computer screen, Sora walked over to Tai's grave. She started digging.

            Emperor Tai watched with horror. "She dug up the grave of my..old body?"

            Sora pulled Tai's coffin out of the ground and threw open the lid. She saw the lifeless body, then shook her head. "What am I doing? I escaped the prison, dug up the grave, and for what? What am I trying to find?"

            The body started to glow a dark light. "What the?" she asked. She touched the deceased and her body was suddenly enveloped by the dark light. She screamed out in pain and she fell to the ground. The computer monitor went blank.

            Emperor Tai stared at it. "Something in my old body turned her into the Digimon Queen?"

"But the screen's not working," Sara said. Once she reached over the screen came back to life.

            The computer showed an image of a hospital room. The Kamiyas were standing around a hospital bed, which was inhabited by Kari. She was very weak and her heart monitor was falling. "Kari!" Tai shouted, kneeling beside her, "Kari! Please, you can't die!"

            She looked at Tai and held his hand. "I'm sorry. Goodbye Tai."

            Her heart monitor stopped, and Tai collapsed onto the ground. Sara, Sam, and Emperor Tai watched the screen as a brown light emerged from Kari's dead body and floated into the sky.

            The screen changed again.

The Digidestineds were assembled in front of Tai. "It's over, Digimon emperor!" Matt shouted,"I don't care who you are, I'm going to stop you now!"

"Ha!" Tai laughed, jumping off of his throne,"You can't stop me! I am the Digimon Emperor!"

Matt punched Tai square in the nose. He stumbled backwards, then Matt punched him again, this time in the stomach. Tai found himself on the floor in front of his throne. "Give up yet, Tai?" he asked.

"Never!" he shouted. He swung his legs around to know Matt onto his side. He grabbed a dagger from inside of his cape. "No, Matt, I will finally have revenge!" He slashed the dagger down and cut open Matt's throat.

"Matt!" Sora screamed as th other Digidestineds tackled Tai to the ground. Sora knelt beside him. "Matt."

He just reached up and grabbed her hand tightly before she felt it go limp. "Matt!"

            A yellow light emerged from Matt's body and flew out of Emperor Tai's castle. It floated over the skies of the Digital World until it met up with a brown ball of light. The two lights merged with each other, turning into fertilized egg. The egg developed into twin fetuses, which developed into two fourteen-year-old girls, one with blond hair, the other with black. Before the two girls could even move, their merging created a rip in the sky, which they were pulled through. The computer screen blacked out once again.

            Sara, Sam and Emperor Tai stared at each other. 

                                                *          *          *          *

            Back in the Digital World, normal Tai was busy with a problem of his own. He was staring at the food in front of him. "Do I want a hamburger or hot dog?"

            Derwood stepped up beside him. "You still haven't taken anything to eat yet?"

            "Hey, I'm deciding, okay?"

            "Just take both of them!"

            Tai frowned and grabbed them. "Shut up!"

            He followed him over to the where Kari, Takato and Rika were sitting. He sat down in a lawn chair and started eating. Kari looked at him. "Are you sure you should be eating like that? What if the digidestined decides to attack?"

            Takato suddenly dropped the food he was eating and his eyes turned red. "What's the matter?" Derwood asked.

            "Someone's coming!" he growled.

            The group turned their attention to where Davis, Ken, Koushiromon and Miyakomon were standing. They watched in horror as Dark Rings appeared on each of their wrists. The two digimon grinned evilly and Miyakomon fired a blast of pollen from her mouth. All of the digidestined and digimon instantly fell to the ground. Tai and his group stared at them. "What did you do?" Tai shouted.

            "I just put them to sleep," Miyakomon said, "It's just a little trick that I picked up from studying plant digimon in my world."

            "Alright," Kari said, "You're the last Digidestined to fight, right? So if we win, we go home?"

            Davis laughed. "We'll worry about that if you win." He turned to the others. "Ready?"  
            "Let's do it!"

            Davis merged with Koushiromon, turning into Exveemon. Ken merged with Miyakomon, becoming Stingmon. Both merged digi-humans then merged with each other, digivolving to Paildramon. It didn't stop there, as Paildramon digivolved to Imperial Dramon.

            None of Tai's group showed fear. "Who's fighting?" Derwood asked.

            Imperial Dramon laughed in a mixture of all four voices. "All of you will challenge me!"

            Tai grabbed his digivice. "All right, Ready Kari?"

            She nodded. "Yeah."

            Rika and Takato turned to Derwood. "Grab your digivice and point it at us."

            He nodded. "Right. I've never had a Digimon partner before."

            Tai's digivice started glowing and pulled Kari into him. "What's going on?"

            "I don't know!" she shouted.

            "Hikarimon merge to Silyphymon!"

            Takato and Rika were pulled to Derwood. When the digivolution light was gone, Gallantmon stood in their place.

            Silyphymon looked himself over. "What just happened?"

            "I don't know," Gallantmon said, "We're merged together!"

            Imperial Dramon laughed. "This is going to be easier then I thought! Let's go!" He pointed his cannon at the two digimon. "Positron Laser!"

            "Jump!" Silphymon shouted, as he leapt out of the way. Gallantmon obeyed and did the same. Imperial Dramon's attack destroyed a group of trees.

            He was going to fire again, when he noticed what his opponents were doing: Gallantmon was stumbling around, while Silphymon's arms seemed to have minds of their own. Imperial Dramon started laughing. "I get it. You're having trouble fighting as a fused being."

            Inside of Gallantmon, Derwood shouted, "We have to attack him! When I say go, run!"

            "Right!" the other two said.

            "Go!"

Gallantmon ran forward. Derwood wanted to attack by using the lance and swung from the left, but Rika wanted to swing right. Takato wanted to kick. Gallantmon lost balance and fell over.

            "Hang on!" Silphymon shouted. He tried to fly over, but fell onto his face.

            "Kari!" Tai shouted.

            "I didn't know you wanted to fly!" she shouted back.

            "Just run!" he shouted. They ran over to fight, but Tai swung their left fists and Kari swung the right. Silphymon fell on to the ground again.

            Gallantmon was on his feet. "We've got to work together!" Takato shouted.

            "How?" Derwood asked, "I've never done this before!"

            "Open your mind," Rika said, "I know you can feel us. Don't close your actions off to us."

            Derwood concentrated. "Hey, I can feel you."

            "That's right," Takato said, "Don't close us off. We're not three separate beings anymore, but one Digimon. Rika, Derwood, I am with you, together we can't be beaten!"

            Gallantmon looked at Imperial Dramon. "We are one! You are finished!"

            Imperial Dramon floated into the sky. "Positron Laser!"

            Gallantmon brought his shield over and blocked the laser. He pierced Imperial Dramon's stomach with his lance. The dragon screamed and fell to the ground. Gallantmon saw the Dark Ring on his arm. "There it is!"

            He pointed his lance at it. "Lightning Joust!" The Dark Ring blew apart and Imperial Dramon dedigivolved to Davis, Ken, Koushiromon and Miyakomon. Silphymon and Gallantmon went back to normal too.

            "That was interesting," Tai said.

            "Likewise," Kari nodded, "But that was everyone, right? We're done?"

            "She said five world, remember?" Rika asked, "This was only four."

            "Who do we fight next?" she asked. 

            "I don't know," Tai said, "I guess we'll find out."

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Back in the Digimon Emperor Tai world, Sora watched them throught her monitors. "They beat Imperial Dramon too!" she shouted, "I guess we have to take care of them ourselves."

            Gabumon and Agumon nodded. Sora opened a portal with her hand. She was about to jump through when the door was thrown open and Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam ran through.

            "Ahh!" Sora said, "You made it."

            "What did you show us?" Emperor Tai asked.

            "Just the truth," she said, "After I touched your dead body I was enlightened."

            "What was inside of me?" he asked.

            She smiled. "Try to remember, the desert five-years-ago."

            "What about us?" Sara asked, "Am I Matt Ishida?"

            "Yes and no. More correctly, you and Sam are the daughters of Matt and Kari. You have memories of your parent cells, but you were both reborn. Now, if you'll excuse me, your friends will soon enter the fifth world and I have to be there." She and her two partners jumped through the portal.

            "We can't let her get away!" Emperor Tai shouted. He jumped after her, followed by Sara and Sam.

            To be continued….


	30. Ten Faces of Evil: Part 5

Chapter 30:

Ten Faces of Evil: Part 5

            Tai opened his eyes and found that he was staring up at a white ceiling. He sat up in bed and looked around. The walls where white, there was a dresser on the right side, and a t.v. on a stand right in front of his bed. He saw that there was a bathroom near the dresser, so he walked inside. He looked in the mirror and smiled. He was his regular age, gender and species. He was back to normal, but where was he?

            He walked back into his room and saw the door was locked. He walked over and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Okay, I'm locked in?"

            He walked back over to his bed. "What do I do?"

            After a few minutes of silence, there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Kamiya?"

            "Yes?" he asked.

            He heard the door unlock and a large man in a white jacket walked inside. "Breakfast."

            Tai nodded and followed him outside. He was now in a long hallway, with white doors on the walls. He saw that there was a group of other people in the hall too. He gasped when he saw who they were, the Digidestined!

            He moved over to where Kari was standing. She was her normal age, gender and species too. "Tai, where are we?" she asked.

            He looked around at the surroundings as they walked with the other people down the hall. "I think it's a mental hospital."

            "What?" she gasped.

            "Be quiet," he said, "The others are coming."

            She looked over and saw the other Digidestined walking over. Matt whispered into Tai's ears, "We're going to make our move tonight."

            "What?" he asked.

            "The escape!" Matt whispered, "Remember?"

            "Oh right," Tai nodded, "Yeah, I remember."

            "Good. Sora's coming to get us out. We won't have to stay here any longer." He growled with anger.

            "Um, why are we here?" Kari asked.

            Matt stared at her. "Do they have you on new medication? We're here because they think we're crazy."

            "About what?"

            "The Digital World."

            Derwood, Rika and Takato were in the woods outside of the mental hospital. They stared at the white building. "Do you think they're inside of there?" Rika asked.

            "Maybe," Takato said, "Sora usually drops us off pretty close. Maybe they're stuck inside?"

            Derwood was going to say something when they heard a noise behind them. They turned around and saw Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam fall from the sky and land in the woods. They ran over and saw that the three of them had landed on top of each other. "Are you okay?" Rika shouted.

            "Yeah," Emperor Tai mumbled, "We're fine."

            Sara stared at Takato and Rika. "You guys are smaller then before. And you're..digimon."

            They looked at themselves. "We know," Takato said, "We were digimon last world, but because we were already part digimon, I think it jump started our merging. Takato and Guilmon have merged together to form me."

            Rika nodded. "The same for me."

            "Where have you been?" Derwood asked.

            The three looked at each other, then turned away. "What?" Takato asked.

            Emperor Tai stood up. "Something that was inside of my old body infected Sora and made her the Digimon Queen. She told me that whatever happened, it happened to me in the desert five years ago. Why can't I remember?"

            He looked at Sara and Sam. "And…I can't even believe who you two really are!"

            "You can't believe?" Sara shouted, "I use to be Matt! How do you think I feel?" She pointed at him, "You killed me!"

            He gasped, then stared at the ground. "I did."

            "How did this happen?" Sam asked, "If we should have died, why didn't we?"

            "If you could remember, maybe you'd know, right?" Derwood asked.

            "Yeah?"

            "Okay, so if we hypnotized you, maybe you could remember."

            "That's a good plan," Sara said, "But who can hypnotize us?"

            Derwood mentioned to the building. "That's a mental hospital."

            "How do you know that?" Sam asked.

            "There's a large sign down the road," Rika said.

            "Okay, but how are we going to do it?"

            "We'll get a doctor," Derwood said, "When I was still with the Reality Police, I had to do undercover work sometimes."

            Sara and Sam looked at each other. "I don't know about this."

            Emperor Tai stood up. "I'm not afraid to face my past."

            The two girls nodded. "Okay," Sara said, "We're in."

            Inside of the mental hospital, Tai and Kari, along with the rest of the Digidestined, where sitting inside of another white room. They were sitting in a circle, looking at a psychiatrist who was writing notes on a notepad. Her security pin said her name was Dr. Mathis. Tai noticed that Sora, Davis, and Ken weren't there.

            "Okay, Tai," the Dr. Mathis said, "Yesterday we were talking about.." She flipped through her notes, "Agumon, right?"

            Tai nodded. "Okay."

            She smiled. "Why don't you tell me about him."

            "Uh…I don't know where to start."

            "Well, how about you tell me your relationship."

            "Okay, well, we are best friends," he said, "He saved my life so many times I lost count."

            She nodded, "Why don't you tell me about…" She looked through her notes again, "Skullgreymon."

            Tai flinched. "Well..I don't think I should.."

            "No, go on."

            "Okay, I had just found the Crest of Courage and I let it go to my head. Agumon dark digivolved and it took almost all of the other Digimon to stop him. It was my fault; he was fine until I messed him up!"

            Kari placed her hand on Tai's shoulder. "It's okay."

            Dr. Mathis wrote a few notes, then looked at Kari. "Why don't you tell me about Myotismon? About how you destroyed him."

            "Why do you want to know about that?" Kari asked, "I've tried to bury that." She looked at the ground, "I hated him so much that I wanted him dead more then anything! How do you think I should feel?" she shouted.

            "Okay," Dr. Mathis said, "Okay, calm down, it's okay."

            Kari took a few deep breaths. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

            Dr. Mathis turned to Matt. "Why don't we move over to you?"

            In another section of the hospital, Emperor Tai and the others had snuck inside by disguising themselves as security personal. They were looking for a doctor's office when they passed by the room that Tai and Kari were inside of. "Well at least we know they're here," Derwood said.

            "We'll worry about that later," Takato said. Since he and Rika were smaller, Rika was standing on Takato's shoulders inside of the uniform.

            "Yeah," Rika said, "Let's find that stupid doctor so we can get out of here."

            Sara was in the lead and she mentioned to an empty office room. "In here."

            The group walked inside and locked the door behind them. Sara read the doctor's schedule. "He's got an opponent in a few minutes. Let's take that time."

 Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam quickly removed their uniforms to the patient uniform they had on underneath. The doctor walked inside a second later. "Yes?"

            "This is your next appointments," Derwood said, "They're here for memory regression."

            "They are?" he asked. He flipped through the files that were on his desk. "I don't see their files."

            "It was supposed to be sent over from D-block," Rika said, hoping he would believe it.

            The doctor did. "D-block is always behind. Okay, what exactly is their conditions?"

            Derwood pointed to Emperor Tai. "Something happened to Chi, about five-years-ago that he can't remember. Sara and Sam can't remember something that happened to them about a year  ago.  The doctors in D-block think that it is causing their schizophrenia. They believe it's somehow connected."

            The doctor nodded. "Okay. Well, why don't we start with a drug that will create a trance." 

            He walked over to a cabinet. Rika mumbled to Derwood. "What a lucky break, we get the doctor who drugs everyone up."

            The doctor injected the three people with the drug. After a few minutes, he started talking to Emperor Tai. "Okay, now, go back, back, five-years-ago, what do you see?"

            "A desert," he said, "I'm standing in a desert…I'm not alone."

            "Who is with you?"

            "A girl, with blond hair and wearing a black dress."

            "Alice," Rika hissed,"

            "We're fighting something, a dark creature…that…." He started screaming, "I'm being attacked with something, inside of me!"

            The doctor snapped his fingers. "Return to the present, come back, return, return…" Emperor Tai gradually stopped screaming until he looked like he was asleep.

            The doctor sighed. "Something traumatic must have happened, especially with that girl." He wrote a few notes, then turned to Sara and Sam. "Now, go back, one year. What has happened?"

            Sam answered. "I'm floating, darkness and loneliness. I didn't go where I was supposed to because I couldn't. The Digital World wouldn't let me, they told me I wasn't done yet. I waited for four years before the Digital World told me that I was ready."

            "I came," Sara said, "I met Kari in the sky and we merged together. The Digital World was in control. We were born again."

            The doctor stared at them. "Kari?" he asked.

            "I am Kari," Sam said.

            "My name is Matt," Sara said.

            The doctor nodded and wrote down something else in the notes. "Past lives, incredible!" he said.

            The lights suddenly turned off. "Power's out," he said. He looked at Derwood and Rika. "What should we do?"

            Rika was going to say something when Derwood jumped behind the doctor and hit him in the back of the neck. He fell unconscious to the desk. "What did you do that for?" Rika shouted.

            "This is the perfect way to get Tai and Kari out," Derwood said, kicking the door open, "Come on."

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Back in his room, Tai heard his door unlock. He expected to see one of the orderlies, but saw Davis instead. "Come on!" he said, "I'm here to get you out!"

            Tai followed him into the hallway where Ken was standing next to Kari. "We just have to get the others," Ken said, "Then we can…"

            The emergency lights came on. They heard the voices of the security people running towards them. "We have to get out," Davis said, "I'm sorry Matt." They ran down the halls until they reached one of the doors and jumped through.

            When they were outside, they ran deeper into the woods and hid behind a group of trees. They watched the doorway they ran out of, and saw a security man with two girls over his shoulder jump out. He was followed by a small fox and a small dinosaur carrying a teenage boy. 

            "I think that's Derwood," Tai said.

            "What?" Davis asked,

            "They're friends of ours," Kari said, "We can go back in and get the others."

            Before they could, they heard the alarms go off. "Powers back on!" Ken shouted, "Let's get out of here."

            Derwood and the others met up in a large clearing in the middle of the woods. Sora was there waiting for them. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt and had started a fire. "I'm glad you made it here," she said, "You were only able to get Tai and Kari?"

            "Yeah," Davis frowned, "We had to leave. But these others came too."

            Sora nodded. "Good." She held up her hand and fired a dark ball that made Davis and Ken fall unconscious. 

            Tai gasped. "You're the Digimon Queen Sora, aren't you?"

            "That's right!" she laughed, "I have to..replace myself with the Sora of this world." Her clothes shifted into the Digimon Queen uniform. "Now, prepare to be…" Her body suddenly started to shake. 

            "Run!" she shouted, "Get out, hurry!"

            "Works for me," Tai said, "Let's go!"

            They ran into the woods, leaving Sora in the clearing.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          

            After a few hours, Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam worked the drugs out of their system and were conscious again. They told the others about what they learned. Everyone was in shock. Emperor Tai was sitting on a log, staring at Sara and Sam, specifically Sam.

            "That's Kari," he said, "My little sister, she's really alive again. But it's not her, not anymore. Kari, it was my fault that you died before, and I won't let it happen again!" He turned to Sara, "And you're Matt. But why does Sora seem to hate you so much?" He sighed, "All of this is my fault. Well, starting today I'm going to make up for everything that I've done."

            Tai was staring at Sara and Sam. "So you're Matt, and you're Kari?"

            They nodded.

            "Wow, I'm really in shock. How did it even happened?"

            Sam started. "When I…died, the Digital World wouldn't let me leave yet. It kept telling me that I wasn't ready to go. I don't remember what happened afterwards, but then I saw Matt coming towards me. We started to merge together, it was like being born. The 'mother' and the 'father' joining together. But since we were already teenagers, when we were 'born' we were born as fourteen-year-olds. I don't know why, but a rip in reality formed, and we were sucked in. That's when we ended up in the Tamers world."

            "That's amazing, " Kari said, "Who would have ever thought that.."

            "I would have!"

            The group looked into the woods and saw Sora standing there. Agumon and Gabumon were at her side. "You're all together, I see." She grinned at Sara and Sam. "And I bet you're having trouble adjusting, aren't you?"

            "Why do you hate us so much?" Sara asked, "I'm starting to remember things about Matt Ishida. We…you two were in love!"

            "You're not him!" she screamed, "and you never will be!"

Emperor Tai stood up and spoke to her. "Isn't this over yet, Sora?" he shouted, "Why do you keep playing with us like this? What happened to you?"

            Her body started twitching again. The evil look in her eyes disappeared. "Tai, both Tai's, I'm sorry. I tried to hold her back as long as I could."

            "Who are you?" Tai asked.

            "I'm Sora," she said, "Her…"Light' side."

            "A split personality?" Derwood asked.

            Sora nodded. "I think I was 'born' the day that my other self tried to kill Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. Part of Sora was horrified at what she tried to do, that part became me. I grew in strength after Sora touched Emperor Tai's body, and became infused with evil."

            "So, then Sora's just being control?" Tai asked, hopefully.

            "Sorry, no. _I'm_ the invader," she said, "The real Sora is the Digimon Queen. When she found out you where coming, I used all of my strength to make her arrange this game-style fighting for you, trying to give you a chance. I knew if you got stronger, you might be able to stop her! But, my strength is falling. I'm sorry."

            Sora's evil became dark again. "So," she grinned, "I guess it's true what they say, you are your own worst enemy."

            "Where's is she?" Emperor Tai shouted.

            "That other Sora won't be joining us every again," Sora grinned, "Now, I believe I was about to kill you."

            Agumon and Gaumon turned to her. "We're ready." Gabumon said.

            "Let's form Omnimon and kill them!" Agumon grinned.

            Sora reached over and grabbed the two Digimon in her hands. "Fuse, with losers like you? Ha! Give me your powers, and I'll fight myself!"

            Agumon and Gabumon tried to protest, but they were turned back into Digi-eggs and Sora absorbed their powers. She flung the eggs into the ground, where they cracked and were deleted.

            "No!" Emperor Tai shouted. He turned to Sora. "How could you?"

            Sora laughed. "It was really you, after all. Sure, I was probably heading down the evil path before, but I would never have gotten power like this if I hadn't of touched your body!" She licked her lips, "And I've got to stay it feels great! Now I know why you went made with power, but it's not yours anymore, it's mine!"

            "I don't understand," Tai said, looking at Sora, then at Emperor Tai, "He doesn't have the same power?"

            "The power was in the body, fool!" she shouted, "In the desert, five-years-ago, Emperor Tai and Alice were exploring when they were attacked. Tai was infused with energy from this Digimon that corrupted his spirit. When he switched worlds, most of the evil influence went with his spirit into his new body, it needed to recharge basically. Which is why, Tai, when you entered it, you weren't over come with evil. However, by the time I touched it, that evil had become strong enough to empower me!" She turned back to Emperor Tai,"You're so pathetic, you know that? You keep thinking that you were the most evil Tai of all, but you weren't! Gradually, the evil diminished, which is why you're even working with this Tai to begin with! Remember when you first jumped realties? You wanted to control everything, but after spending time with that Kari, you started to miss your own sister. You wanted to bring her and Matt back to life, right? Well, do you think you would have done that if you were still the Digimon Emperor?"

            "Wait!" Kari shouted, "You mean, he was infected with a Dark Spore?"

            "No," Sora grinned, "A Dark Spore wouldn't have followed him. Once he left his old body, he would have instantly changed, like the Ken of your world. Secondly, the Dark Spores came from Milleniumon, the reality powers Emperor Tai and I have came from someone else."

            "Who?" Tai shouted.

            Sora pointed into the sky as a transparent image appeared. "I believe you know Apocalymon!"

            Everyone gasped. "Apocalymon?" Emperor Tai shouted, "But, we beat him!"

            "And he was trying to revive in the desert!" she shouted, "But you and Alice were able to beat him. As he died again, he infected you with his evil. After you become depressed, that evil grew, changing you into the person you are now."

            Her hands started to glow with dark lightning. "I think we've talked long enough.  It's time to die!" She swung her arms open and the trees surrounding Tai and the others exploded in darkness. Her body started to twitch again and a portal opened behind her. "What?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

            Her voice changed to the softer voice of Light Sora. "This portal leads to the Nexus of Reality. Throw us inside, and we'll be trapped."

            "No!" Tai shouted, "There has to be another way!"

            "There isn't," Light Sora said, "Hurry." Her voice changed into the deeper voice of Dark Sora. "I'll kill you before that happens!"

            "No!" Emperor Tai shouted. Her ran towers her and wrapped his arms around the Digimon Queen. Her body started exploding with lightning that pierced Emperor Tai's body.

            "I'll stop you!" he shouted, pushing her towards the portal, "I'll draw out your good side and set her free!"

            "You can't!" Dark Sora shouted, but saw that she was wrong. She watched as her 'good' side, a transparent image of Sora, wearing the clothes she wore when she first entered the Digital World, float out of her body and disappear with a blast of light.

            "Where is she?" Dark Sora shouted.

            "In the Digital World that's connected to our home world," Emperor Tai said, "Being so close to the portal to the Nexus of Realities boosts my reality powers! Your light side will be reborn, and given another chance. You, on the other hand, will be trapped forever!" He lifted her up and threw her into the portal. She managed to stop herself right before she was pulled in. Everyone could see that the portal was trying to pull her inside, but she was fighting back.

            "If I go inside," she shouted, "Then you all will die!" She pointed her right hand at Tai and screamed, "Dark Supreme Cannon!" 

            A blast of dark light flew towards them. Dark Sora was thrown into the portal, which vanished a second later. Her attack would have destroyed Tai if Emperor Tai hadn't of jumped in the way.

            As the dark light attacked him, he looked over his shoulder at Sam, but saw his sister instead. "Kari, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't miss you, enjoy your second chance at life, little sister." Her looked over at Sara, but saw Matt instead. "You enjoy your new life too. And Matt, I'm sorry." He screamed one final time, and his body was disintegrated. 

The others could only stare at what had just happened. Finally, Sara was able to speak. "He saved us all."         

Sam nodded with tears coming out of her eyes. 

Tai cleared his throat and walked over to him. "I've been to a lot of different worlds, but each Tai was pretty much the same. He thought he was different, the outcast, but deep down, he wasn't different at all. Goodbye, brother."

            Later that night, they had found where Davis and Ken were still lying, both of them were still alive, thankfully.  They figured that they probably wouldn't wake up for a while, so the group sat and talked.

            "With Sora gone, we should be able to jump realities soon," Takato said.

            "But what are we going to do about Sora?" Tai asked, "If all the other Digidestineds are safe, isn't her mother going to wonder where what happened to her?"

            "Emperor Tai brought her light side to that Digital World," Sara said, "But, does that mean she'll be reborn as a digimon, or what happened to Sam and me?"

            "There is something very odd about that Digital World," Tai said, "Maybe it was because of Apocalymon being there, or maybe something else."

            "When this is all over," Sara said, "We'll have to go back and explain everything, we have to."

            "And maybe see our parents," Sam said, "Even though they won't know it's us."

            "Are we going to be able to get back to our world?" Kari asked, "I mean, how would we get there?"

            "We'll be able to take you," Sara said, "As soon as you fall asleep, we can move your spirits back into your own world."

            "Finally," Kari smiled, "Home again."

            "What about me?" Tai asked, "Emperor Tai had my body! With him dead.."

            Sara nodded. "Yes, I know. Unfortunately, creating bodies was something that Ryo did. Sara and I aren't up to that level just yet."

            "So what do I do?" he asked.

            "You have a body there," Sam said.

            "You don't mean the cat, do you?" Tai shouted.

            The twins nodded.

            "Oh, no!" he shouted, "You're not kidding either!"

            "Don't worry," Sara said, "I'm betting that Ryo's there to. If we can find him, he can do it, or…" She smiled.

            "What?" he asked.

            "Nothing," she said, "Don't worry about it. After we bring you to your world, we're going to go back and bring Male Kari to our home world, just like we promised. I bet Henry can think of something to help."

            "How can we cure him?" Kari asked.

            "Milleniumon should have the shield energy inside of him," Takato said, "Once we beat Milleniumon, the energy should go back to where it came from."

            Tai looked at Davis and Ken. "What about this world? Will the other Digidestined get help?"

            "It's not really our place to change realities," Sara said, "We're outsiders, we're invaders to this world. It would be like going back in time and changing something. We don't know what would happen. I'm sure that once Davis and Ken wake up and see that Tai and Kari are here, they'll make another plan and find a way to free their friends. Or find a way to prove that they're not crazy and can be freed."

            Tai nodded. "Alright."

            "Get some sleep now," Sara said, "It's going to be a big day tomorrow."

            "I get the feeling you're right," Tai said, closing his eyes. He was soon asleep.

            To be continued…


	31. The Return Home: Part 1

Chapter 31

The Return Home: Part 1

            The next morning, Tai was eager to open his eyes and see his home world. When he did open his eyes, he felt a weird feeling in his stomach. Everything in the room was so much bigger and….wait, this wasn't his room. It wasn't even close. He went to stand up, but feel very weird. When he looked himself over he saw he was back inside of the cat body.

            He saw that he had been sleeping at the end of a bed with yellow sheets. He looked around the room again; this wasn't his and Kari's room. But if he was back home, then whose room was he in?

            He heard a yawn and turned around. When he saw the person sitting up in the bed, he would have gasped if he could. It was Sora! Not just any Sora, but _his_ Sora! He just stared at her as she sat up. When she saw him, she smiled. "Hi, Tai."

            His heart froze. She knew it was him, but how?

            She got up out of bed and walked over to him. "Okay," she said, "I know you're not really a cat, and don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You had just traveled across dimensions, and as soon as you fall asleep, you'll be back to normal. Another reality traveler named Ryo told me this before he left this world."

            _"Ryo told her!"_ he thought, _"She doesn't know it's the Tai from this world__.__ I've got to tell her somehow__.__"_

            He jumped off of her bed and ran over to Sora's desk. He grabbed the pencil with his teeth and wrote on a piece of notebook paper that was lying on the desk. "It is Tai from this world."

            Her eyes opened wide, "Tai, is it really you?"

            He nodded and wrote with his pencil. "Sora, I love you."

            She looked him directly in his cat eyes. When she did, she saw him, the real Tai. "Okay, that's good enough for me," she said, hugging him, "Oh, where have you been? I've been so worried about you! You're parents were so scared too!"

            She put him down on her bed and sat down next to him. "A few days ago this kid named Ryo came to me with this cat and told me that if I wanted to see Tai again, I would have to keep this cat safe. It took a heck of a lot before I believed him. He told me that Tai's from other worlds might come into this body every night, I'd have to take care of them because he was going to help you. " She shook her head, "You don't want to know what I had to go through, but it doesn't matter, because you're back!" She hugged him again, "Oh, Kari's body is in some kind of coma. She went into that coma right before Ryo left, and no one knows why."

            _"What?"_ Tai thought.

            Sora smiled. "You're probably hungry, huh? Come on, let's eat some breakfast."

            As Tai followed her out, his mind was full of questions, "_Why wouldn't Ryo tell me that Sora was taking care of the other Tais and that they had to go into the cat's body? Could it have something to do with Kari? Did he do something to her?"_

            He followed Sora into the kitchen of her apartment. Sora was opening a can near the counter. She placed it into a green saucer and put it on the floor. "Here," she said. Tai just stared at her.

            "Mom doesn't know what's going on," she said, "If she saw you eating at the table, she'd have a fit."

            Tai just walked over and started to smell the food. He looked back at her. "You have the body of a cat, and I don't want you to get sick. Eat the cat food."

            Tai eat the food quickly. It tasted like tuna fish and meat. He licked himself clean, then turned to look at Sora. She was eating her breakfast. She noticed that he was looking at her. "When I'm finished eating, I'll sneak you over to the hospital to see Kari."

            Mrs. Takenouchi walked out of her room a second later. She was wearing a dress suit. "Good morning, Sora," she said.

            "Morning Mom," Sora smiled.

            Her mother walked over to Tai and petted him. "Good morning, Miko," she smiled.

            She turned to Sora. "Don't forget, you promised to work at the shop today."

            "Oh, but Mom, I was going to see Kari today."

            "You can see her after you're done," she said, "I have to go to the bank today to see if I can switch our loan to another. It's very complicated bank stuff, so I won't bore you."

            Sora looked at Tai. "But Mom…"

            "You can see Kari after I get back. I should be done early in the afternoon. I understand that you want to see your friend, but you have been there all week."

            Sora sighed. "All right." She grabbed Tai and walked into her room. She closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry, Tai," she said, "I guess we'll have to wait."

            _"What about Sara and Sam?"_ he thought, "_She might not know about them, if they're even here__.__ They said they were going to take male Kari to their home world__.__ Maybe I'm the only one that got back home__.__"_ He suddenly felt very alone.

            He turned around and saw that Sora had taken off her pajamas. She suddenly remembered that Tai was there, so she covered herself up. Her face started to blush. "Tai!"

            The cat turned away. When he looked back, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. "Why don't you just hang around here for a little while?" she said, "I'm going to be downstairs until Mom gets back." She walked over to the television on her desk and turned it on. "There, so you don't get bored. The um…" she blushed again, "The litter box is in the bathroom. I'll be back soon." She left.

            When Tai and Kari left their home world to start their trips across reality, the Digidestined were keeping their eyes on the children who had been infected with the Dark Spores by Oikawa. They didn't know that Dark Ryo and Hypnos soldiers were also looking for them.

            A young boy with brown hair was walking down the sidewalk when he past a tall, blond man wearing sun glasses. The boy knew that he was looking at him, but kept on walking. The man followed behind him until the boy ran into a playground. He was about to jump onto one of the swings, when a blond, 11-year-old girl grabbed him, and quickly put a cloth over his mouth and nose. The boy passed out instantly.

            "I don't think anyone saw us," the girl said.

            The man nodded. "Great, Tally. We've got to get him back to Dark Ryo quickly."

            Yamaki lifted the boy onto his shoulders and started walking. When they passed a group of people, Tally looked at Yamaki. "Dad, is he going to be okay?"

            "Sure, your brother's just asleep, that's all."

            The group of people didn't think anything more about it.

            Hidden inside of a house in the mountains, Oikawa was looking up at a large screen that displayed an overhead view of Tokyo with more than a dozen blinking lights. One of these lights just vanished.

            "That's another one," Oikawa shouted.

            "Another what?" Arukennimon asked.

            "Another one of the children I infected with the Dark Seeds has had his or her energy sucked out. Someone is taking my power, and I want to know who!" He looked at Arukennimon and Mummymon. "Find out, now!"

            "Yes sir."

            Tai jumped off of Sora's bed and walked into the living room. He was so bored. He hated being a cat the first time, and the second time wasn't any better.  He walked over to his dish and ate some more, then walked back into Sora's room to watch more t.v. After what seemed like forever, he heard the door open. He jumped back down and walked into the living room. It was Sora.

            "Sorry, Tai," she said, "Mom was a little longer then she thought. Just let me get showered and dressed, and we'll go."

            Tai waited out side of her room. When she came back out she was wearing a pink t-shirt and a pink skirt. She went into the kitchen counter. He ran in after her and looked up. He miss judged his position, and when he looked up he was able to see up her skirt. He turned away a second before Sora looked at him. "Okay, we're ready." She reached down and picked him up. She placed him into a backback. "They don't allow animals in the hospital. Okay, let's go."

            Sora carried Tai out of the apartment and down the street. They passed a dark alley filled with rats and small dogs. A few minutes after Tai and Sora had passed it, the alley exploded in a blast of light. The rats and dogs ran out as a human girl landed onto the ground. She had red hair, and was wearing a black dress and cape. She stood up and looked around.

            "So," she said, "This is the world where they went, huh?" She grinned, "Yes, I can feel it. There is a powerful darkness here! If I could take that power, yes, I must have it!"

            Dark Sora mentioned to her clothes. Her dress flowed over her body, becoming a pair of tight jeans and a yellow tank-top. Her cape flowed into her back and became a denim jacket. She walked onto the sidewalk. "I must have that energy! And I will!"

            At the hospital, Sora quietly snuck past the nurses and into the elevator. She pressed the button for the 27 floor. She was alone in the elevator, so she started talking to Tai. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

            The doors opened again as she walked into the hall. When she reached Kari's room, she was surprised that there were other people already there: two teenage girls, one with black hair, and one with blond, and a young man.  "Hi," she said.

            The blond-haired girl nodded. "Hi, Sora."

            "How do you know my name?"

            The man walked over and closed the door to the hospital room. "You can let Tai out now," he said.

            Sora looked at them with a suspicious look. "Don't worry," the black-haired girl said, "We're friends. My name is Sam."

            "I'm Sara."

            "I'm Derwood."

            Sora felt her backpack start to shake. Sora opened it and lifted Tai out. He jumped out of her arms and into Sara's arms.

            "Okay," Sora said, "I guess you're who you say you are."

            "We traveled with Tai across realities," she said.

            "What?" Sora asked, "Did you know Ryo? He gave that cat body to me to take care of!"

            "Really?" Sara asked, looking at Sam, "Did he tell you that?"

            She shook her head. "No."

            "Hey," Derwood said, "Kari's waking up."

            Sara and Sam ran over to the hospital bed. Kari opened her eyes and looked around the room. When she saw Sora, she gave a yelp and almost fell onto her back. "Kari, it's okay!" Sam said, helping her onto her feet, "It's okay, you're back home."

            "Home?" she asked, she looked at herself. Despite being in a hospital gown, she was in her own body! "I'm back home! I'm back home! Wait, where's Tai?"

            Sara held Tai out. Kari looked at him and smiled. "He's back as the cat?"

            Sara nodded. "Don't worry. We've got something in mind for tomorrow. He'll have a human body soon."

            "What exactly is going on here?" Sora asked.

            "We'll tell you soon," Sam said, "Once we get Kari out of here and meet up with our other two friends, we'll explain everything."

            Dark Sora walked along the edge of one of the roofs, staring at the city below. "This is just like the city back home. I'm still amazed that how different parallel realities can be, but still so different. But where is that power source? I must have it!"

            She grinned to herself as she turned around and saw another teenager girl on the roof, dressed entirely in black. "Well, its you."

            "Excuse me?" the other girl asked, "Have we met before?"

            "Not really. You're Alice, aren't you?"

            "That's right. Now, you're not the Sora Takenouchi from this world, are you the Sora from the Emperor Tai world?"

            "That's right," she said, "And I know you all too well. You're the one that traveled with, 'Emperor Tai' in the desert when he faced Apocalymon!"

            Alice's face turned to confusion. "W..what? What are you talking about?"

            Dark Sora stared at her, then laughed. "You don't remember, do you? Ha ha ha!"

            "Stop that!" Alice shouted. She hovered into the air. "This is a warning. Stay out of our business, or you'll be sorry! While I don't know exactly what happened when Master Ryo visited you, I guarantee that what you witness wasn't anything near the power he has!" She vanished in a blast of black light.

            Dark Sora chuckled. "Well, it looks like she is having problems remembering her past too." She crossed her arms and looked down at the city again. "I'll have to be careful not to be detected by Dark Ryo. I'll have to keep my power low enough that he can't find me, but I'll never find him either. I'll just have to wait until _he_ uses his power first, then I'll just locate him." She started laughing again, "I'll have that power!"

            Sara and Sam brought Sora, Kari and Tai to an abandoned warehouse where a group of other teenagers were waiting. The Digimon were there too.

            "Kari!" Gatomon shouted, running over to her, "You're okay!"

            She grinned. "Oh, Gatomon, I'm so glad to see you again!"

            Agumon's looked around, "But where's Tai?"

            Kari smiled as she placed the cat into Agumon's arms. "That's Tai."

            Agumon lifted the cat so he could look into his eyes. "Tai? What happened to you?"

            "In a few minutes," Sara said, "Kari and Tai, there are three others here."

            Kari turned to look at two human looking creatures that were about half her height. One was a male, with long brown hair and small bat wing-like ears stick out of his head. He wore torn red pants and a torn red t-shirt. He had a red dinosaur tail that stuck out of his tail bone. "Takato?" Kari asked, "Is that you?"

            "Yeah. I am a perfect fusion of Takato and Guilmon. You should see Rika."

            Kari looked over at the other human/digimon. This was a girl with long brown hair and two fox ears. She wore a sleeveless yellow body suit and had a large bushy tail. "Rika?" Kari chuckled slightly.

            The fox girl crossed her arms. "Laugh all you want, but it's not going to change anything."

            "Sorry," she giggled.

            Sara mentioned to another figure. "One more person."

            Kari and Sora looked at the person and gasped. The person standing there was a girl, but one that was an exact duplicate of Tai.

            The girl shrugged slightly. "You know, this is a little weird for me too."

            "Sorry," Kari said, "You're the sister of the Tai that's…having problems, aren't you?"

            Female Tai nodded. "Yeah, but, I'm here to help you so we can save Kari..my brother's life."

            Kari turned to Sam. "Does this mean you took the other Kari to your world?"

            Sam nodded. "Yeah. Henry and Suzie are watching him. Hopefully he'll be okay until we get his Light powers back."

            "Okay," Sara said, "Now that we're all here, let me explain what's going on."

            She quickly retold everything that had happened up to that point, including Dark Sora and her strange tournament. Sora shuttered. "I can't believe that there's another me out there that's such a…"

            "Witch?" Kari asked.

            "Well, I was going to use the 'b' word, but I guess that works too."

            "Our biggest problem right now is finding out what Dark Ryo is planning," Takato said, "So far, we've been able to determine that he is looking for kids that have a small amount of time and space powers inside of them."

            "You mean the Dark Spore kids?" Sora asked, "A lot of them have gone missing. We just thought it was Oikawa taking them."

            "We've noticed that there's a lot of this time and space energy in North America too." Takato continued, " If Dark Ryo keeps teleporting over there, then there has to be something there that he wants."

            "So, we're going over there?" Sora asked.

            "Tomorrow," Sara said, "We've got to move Tai out of that cat body. We can't create a body, so we're just going to move his body into Female Tai's body."

            "What?" she gasped, "You mean…?"

            "You'll still be in control," she said, "Just, you'll have a passenger."

            Female Tai struggled for something to say, but just sighed. "Alright, if it means getting saving my brother, I'll do it."

            "Once we find Ryo, we can have another body created for Tai."

            Kari nodded. "And find out why he put me in that coma."

            "Alright," Takato said, "We'll head out tomorrow and the first step to beating Dark Ryo once and for all!"

to be continued….

I know this wasn't anything spectacular; it was really just an introduction to the final story arc. So please keep reading.


	32. The Return Home: Part 2

Chapter 32:

The Return Home: Part 2

Tai was surprised that he was able to open his eyes because Sara told him that he was going to be placed inside of Female Tai's body, but how come he was able to control the eyes? He sat up in the small cat bed that he fell asleep in before and glanced at himself. He was still a cat.

His looked around and saw that he was still in Sora's room, the same place he had fallen asleep in the night before. He didn't think that he was still going to be here, so he pretended to be Sora's pet cat for the night. He felt depressed when he realized that he might be Sora's pet for the rest of his life.

He heard a noise behind him and he turned around. Sora was already awake and had her back to him. She was searching in her closet, dressed in only her red bra and panties. Tai stared as she pulled out a blue sweater and an orange skirt and pulled them on. She turned around and Tai quickly turned his head away from her. He heard her gasp and run over to him. She knelt down and stared at him. "Tai, is that still you? Nod twice."

The small cat did and Sora gasped again. "Oh no! I thought that…" She picked him up, "Well, come on, we'd better go see Sara and Sam."

She put him in her backpack. She gently swung her backpack onto her back and walked out of the apartment. She stopped in the hall. "Maybe we should get Kari too. If your Mom and Dad let her leave."

When they got to the Kamiya apartment, they could hear Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya through the door.

"Why did you leave the hospital?" Mrs. Kamiya shouted.

"We were so worried about you! Why did you leave before we got there?" Mr. Kamiya shouted.

"Where's your brother?" Mrs. Kamiya shouted again, "He's been missing for twenty days! You've been acting weird since he left, and then you went into that coma! I want to know what's going on!"

"Listen Mom," Kari said, "I will tell you everything, but, I can't just yet."

"Does this have anything to do with that Digital World?" Mr. Kamiya shouted.

"Yes and No," she said, "It's a lot more complicated then that."

No one said anything for a long while, so Sora rang the doorbell. The door opened a second later and Mrs. Kamiya appeared. "Oh, hello Sora."

"Hi, Mrs. Kamiya," Sora said, "Um, can I talk to Kari?"

"Oh, yes, I guess. Kari, Sora's here to talk to you."

Kari appeared at the door a second later, wearing her long sleeved pink dress. "Hi Sora."

"Kari," Sora whispered, "Tai's still a cat. We're going to see the others."

"Okay, let's go." She grabbed her hat and pulled on her black shoes. "I'm ready."

"Aren't you going to tell your parents?" Sora asked when Kari closed the door.

"I don't like doing it, but I know that they wouldn't want me to leave. So let's just go."

The two girls and the boy-turned-cat arrived at the warehouse where Sara and the others were staying. They walked inside and saw that the others were already awake. Sara and Sam ran over to her. "Do you have Tai?" Sam asked.

Sora nodded and opened her backpack. She held Tai in her arms. "What happened?" she asked.

Sara frowned. "The body possession thing didn't work. I thought I was strong enough to do it, but I guess I'm not. "

Female Tai, Derwood, Takato and Rika walked over, along with two more digimon. "Gatomon!" Kari shouted as the white cat jumped into her arms, "Gatomon, oh, I missed you so much!"

Agumon was there too. He looked at the cat in Sora's arms. "So, you're really Tai? You've been missing for such a long time."

"So what happened?" Female Tai asked.

Sara shook her shoulders. "It just didn't work. But, I think that he may have gained an ability from the attempt."

"What?" Kari asked.

"I think he may be able to talk."

The cat blinked. "Go ahead," Sam said, "Try it."

"Say my name," the blond girl suggested.

Tai was surprised when he was able to say, "Sara. Hey, I can talk! I can talk!"

Sora smiled. "That's great Tai!" she hugged him, "Now at least you can talk to us."

"Which is good," Sara said, "Because you may be stuck like that until we find Ryo."

"Perfect," he sighed.

"All right," Takato said, "Now that that's out of the way, Hypnos has just sent a large team over to North America, Colorado to be precise. This is a big one, Alice, Yamaki and Dark Ryo himself have gone over there. We'd better find out why."

"How are we going to get there?" Gatomon asked.

"Bidramon could take us," Sora suggested, "but I don't know if she could fly that far."

"Buy the time we bought a ticket for an airplane, I bet whatever Hypnos is doing over there will be over," Rika sighed.

"Wait!" Derwood grinned, "I've got an idea."

Dark Sora walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the people who were passing by her. She couldn't understand why they kept staring at her, was it because of the serious expression on her face? The part of her that enjoyed to laugh died the day that Emperor Tai killed Matt. So who cares what anyone else thinks?

"Hey good looking!"

She stopped and looked up. A teenage boy was staring at her with a grin on his face. Dark Sora ignored him and kept walking.

"Hey Babe, I'm talking to you."

She growled. "Don't ever call me that, got it?"

The boy walked forward and put his hand on her shoulder. "What's so wrong with that?"

Dark Sora turned to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes starting to turn black. "Remove your hand, now!"

He did and she started to walk away again. "Wait!" he shouted.

She spun around to face him. "You can't take a hint, can you?" Her body started to crackle with dark lighting and her denim jacket blew behind her. She fired a bolt of dark lighting into the boy. He shot backwards into a building wall and Dark Sora returned to normal. She turned around and walked off.

"This was a great idea!" Rika shouted.

"What's so wrong with it?" Derwood asked.

"I just love being used as cargo!" she screamed.

"Look, this was the only way we could get to America, right?" Derwood asked, "And what's so wrong with flying?"

"We're in the cargo hold!" she shouted.

"What are you complaining about?" Female Tai shouted, "You at least have fur! It's freezing in here!"

The other girls agreed. Tai, who had his own fur coat, wasn't cold at all. "How long until we land?"

Derwood looked at his watch. "About another hour."

"Perfect!" Takato sighed,"By the time we land, Hypnos is going to be there and gone!"

Oikawa smiled to himself as he stood on top of the bridge, staring down at a boy with black hair as he walked on the sidewalk underneath of the bridge. He walked off of the bridge and entered a residential section of the city. He stopped to look at a girl with long brown hair as she walked into the apartment with her mother. "So many children with the Dark Spores, I'll be able to complete my plans!" He frowned, "But why are these children disappearing? Who is interfering in my plans!"

He suddenly heard the sound of lighting crackling and he turned around to see a redheaded girl floating in the air. He hid between the buildings and watched. The redheaded girl shot a bolt of lightning into a boy, then started to walk away. Oikawa gasped when he saw her face. "Is that Sora Takenouchi? How was she able to command the darkness like that? This requires more study. "

By the time that Tai and the others were able to get out of the cargo hold of the plane and sneak through the airport, it had taken about hour. Thankfully, there was a cargo plane bound for Colorado, or it could have taken even longer to get there. They were able to find an airplane hanger that was unoccupied to hide in. "Now we just have to find out where Hypnos is."

"Wait, look at this!" Sam said, running over to them with an American newspaper that she got from the airport. "There's some kind of prophet or something that lives up in the mountains. This article says that he gives predictions and read peoples fortunes and they come true!"

"It does seem like a big coincidence that Dark Ryo would come to Colorado specifically," Derwood said.

"I'm with him," Tai said, "Sam, does it say exactly where he lives?"

Sam read the article quickly. "Yeah, right here! We might have to do some walking."

"Fine with me," Tai said.

Sora stared down at him. "Of course, I'm the one that's going to be carrying you!"

"What about us?" Rika asked, mentioning to Gatomon, Takato and Agumon, "We can't walk around in public either."

"And you're too big to fit inside of backpacks," Derwood frowned.

Sam kept reading the paper. "I think we can take a car until we get to the mountain. According to this, his family lives by themselves on the top of this mountain. We might be able to get up there without anyone else seeing us."

Takato nodded. "Then let's go."

Dark Ryo smiled as he, Alice and Yamaki walked up the snowy mountain to reach a large white house hidden between the thick trees. "So," Dark Ryo grinned, "This is where the Mountain Prophet lives?"

Yamaki nodded. "Yup, Colorado can't seem to get enough of their soothsayer."

Alice chuckled. "Should we knock, or let ourselves in?"

Dark Ryo grinned. "I think you know."

Alice raised her hands and formed a giant ball of black energy. She was about to through the darkness at the house, when the front door opened and a blond teenage boy walked out. "You don't need to do that."

Alice's dark energy disappeared. "Who are you?"

"My name is Willis, and I've been expecting you."

"You are the prophet?" Yamaki gasped.

He nodded. "Yes. My Crest of Fate gives me powers to see the future, the past, and everything else. You are Alice, Yamaki and the evil half of Ryo, partnered to Milleniumon."

Dark Ryo frowned. "Well, we have come.."

"You have come here looking for the entrance to the Ultimate Reality, the place where wishes can come true, haven't you?"

Dark Ryo was speechless. Willis turned to Alice. "I've been eagerly expecting _you__.__"_

"Me?" she gasped, "Why?"

"You have a past you can't remember, a really interesting one."

"W..what are you talking about?"

Willis placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. "I can see you and the one you call Emperor Tai walking through a desert together. I believe you two were really close, weren't you?"

Alice felt a strange feeling shoot through her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" he smiled slightly, "What if I mentioned Apocalymon?"

"Apocalymon?" she shrieked. She seemed to go into a seizure at the mention of his name, but she quickly returned to normal. She glared at him. "What did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything," he said, "You experienced something in the desert about five years ago, didn't you? Something that gave you those powers, huh?"

She palmed her forehead and staggered backwards. "I…I…I…"

Dark Ryo stared at Willis. "Enough of your prophecies! I came to this world because I know that the entrance to the Ultimate Reality is here!" He grinned, "That poor fool, Taichi the Digimon Emperor, sought to find that reality, but the entrance was here all along. Ha! Now, where is it?"

Willis shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" he snarled.

"Because I can see into your soul, and I know what you plan to do, conquer all realities. I can't let you do that."

"You'll die if you don't tell us!" Yamaki shouted.

"I'm a precog, of course I know that." He suddenly smiled and glanced at his watch, "Right on time."

Yamaki turned around and shouted, "Matsuki and the others are here!"

Dark Ryo nodded. "Alice, take care of them!" When he turned to look at her, he saw that she was still clutching her forehead in shock.

"Fine. Yamaki!"

"Gladly sir." He shouted into a walkie-talkie, "Send in Quatro, now!"

"Uh oh," Sara paled, "I remember him."

The ground started thundering as the large, four-armed creature ran up the mountain. He smashed his fist into one of the large trees, making it tip over. He caught it before it hit the ground and ran towards Tai and the others. Kari grabbed her digivice. "Gatomon digivolve!"

"Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

Takato looked to Rika. "Can we digivolve?"

"I don't know. We still have our digivices, maybe we can do it on our own."

"It's worth a try!" he shouted, "Digi-modify! Digivolution activate!"

Both Takato and Rika glowed with the light of digivolution and grew into larger, more powerful forms. Takato was now a larger version of his previous form, with white hair and two red blades on his forearms. Rika's body was more developed and had fur around her thighs like shorts. Nine tails twitched behind her and her chest area was covered in a white mane.

Takato, Rika and Angewomon started fighting against Quatro. "I wish I brought Biyomon," Sora said, "But she still in the Digital World, recovering from her fight against Skull Satanmon!"

Agumon turned to the cat in Sora's arms. "I bet Wargreymon could stop him, but I don't think you can be my partner now."

"I know," Tai said.

Female Tai looked at Tai's digivice that Sora was holding. She grabbed it, "Maybe I can." She pointed the device at Agumon. "Digivolve!"

"Agumon digivolve to Greymon!"

"Yes!" Female Tai grinned, "I did it!"

Kari grabbed Sora's shoulder, "They'll fight them, we'd better see this prophet." The girls, Tai and Derwood ran over to where Dark Ryo was facing Willis. Kari gasped.

"Willis? You're the prophet?"

"Kari?" he asked, "What are you doing back here?"

Dark Ryo turned to look at Kari and the others, then back at Willis. "So, I see you already know each other. Well, it doesn't matter, Willis, you will tell me what I want to know, now!"

"I refuse," Willis said flatly.

"Then you die!" He formed a black energy sword on his hand and attempted to strike it through Willis's chest, but a gold blast shot from his crest and deflected the sword. Dark Ryo growled. He turned around but saw that Alice was still in shock and that Quatro had been defeated. Yamaki was about to jump into battle, but Dark Ryo called him back. He ran over and grabbed Alice, "Yamaki, we're leaving now!" He turned and looked back at Willis, "I will be back, mark my words!" He, Yamaki and Alice vanished in a burst of black light.

"They just left?" Female Tai asked.

"He will be back," Willis said, "Trust me."

"Alright Willis," Tai said, "We've got to talk."

The blond teenager nodded. "Yes, and I've got a lot to tell you."

Dark Sora munched on her burger in the food court as she stared at the other Digidestined seated at their own table. She could hardly believe that Matt was sitting only a few tables in front of her, just the shock, that's all. This Sora had given up any feelings she had for anyone after she watched her Matt die. And now he was the girl named Sara. She could probably have this Matt here. If she used her reality powers and did some alterations to her physical features, she could become the girl that he wanted, but why bother? She was having plenty of fun in her new self, without any loyalties, without any worries, completely free and she was enjoying it. But it wasn't enough, she needed more power to do exactly what she wanted, and if she took what power Dark Ryo had, she could.

She finished her meal and walked out of the food court. She walked down the mall, stopping to stare at a mannequin wearing a revealing, skin-tight leather dress. She wondered how many guys she could entrap with that dress when she felt a dark presence behind her. She thought that Alice had returned, the power level was roughly the same, but not as strong as Dark Ryo. She turned around and saw an older man with long dark hair. "Who are you? I can tell you possess formidable dark powers."

"My name is Ukyo Oikawa, and I need to speak to you at once."

To be continued…..

I'm sorry these chapters are so short, but I have some form of writers block for these chapters. I know what I want to do, but getting there is the problem.


	33. The Return Home: Part 3

Author's note: Do to advice that I received, since Takato and Rika have merged with Guilmon and Renamon, I'll be calling them Takatomon and Rikamon from now on.

Chapter 33:

            The Return Home: Part 3

            Tai wandered around the small room. "Hey, do you have anything to eat?"

            Willis walked over to the fridge. "I think I have some tuna."

            "Hey, just because I'm a cat, doesn't mean that I have to like tuna."

            Willis chuckled. "Well, what do you like?"

            "Got any hamburger?"

            Kari walked into the kitchen and lifted Tai up. "You can't eat hamburgers, you've got a cat's body. You have to eat cat food. Luckily, Sora packed some."

            She turned Tai around to see Sora putting a bowl of cat food onto the floor. Tai grumbled as he walked over and started to much down. While he ate, Derwood and Sara sat down across from Willis. "Okay, can we get some answers now?"

            "What do you want to know?"

            "Like what Dark Ryo is doing here?" Sara asked, "Why'd he come to this reality?"

            "He wants to look for the entrance to the Ultimate Reality."

            "And what is that?" Derwood asked.

            "A place where anything can happen, a place where your wildest dreams can come true."

            "Really?" Tai asked, "I can see why a nutcase like Dark Ryo would want to get there."

            Willis nodded. "You see, at one time, there existed only that reality. The beings there were content and happy, until one day, they began to wonder, if something changed, how would it affect the rest of the reality? They weren't about to let anything happen to their perfect world, so they created other realities to test their theories. Every reality out there, is a result of a change that the inhabitants of the Ultimate Reality made."

            "I think I get it," Sora said, "When you're in the Ultimate Reality, you can create other worlds. I see why its so important, but what kind of reality does Dark Ryo want to create?"

            "How do you get into the Ultimate Reality?" Female Tai asked.

            "The gate was hidden in this world. I don't know why, but it's sealed. So, if we want to get into that reality, we've got to smash through the seal. That would take a lot of reality power to do that."

            "Like what Sam, Ryo and I have?" Sara asked.

            "You'll need a lot more power then that," he grinned, "A lot more."

            "How much more?" Derwwod asked, "What can generate that much power?"

            "Millenniumon could," Takatomon said, walking into the kitchen with Rikamon.

            "No, he can't," Willis said, "He lost too much power from being trapped being that shield."

            The others stared at him. "How did you know that?" Rikamon asked.

            "My Crest of Fate," he said, "I can see all."

            "Then what does Dark Ryo need to open the shield?" Tai asked.

            "Dark Spores."

            "Dark Spres?"

            Willis nodded. "Yeah. The regular Ryo and Ken were in the desert fighting against Millenniumon when the evil digimon infected Ken with his Dark Spores. Oikawa then used Ken's spore to infect about a dozen other kids. Those Spores act like batteries, to give Millenniumon enough energy to reach a more powerful state and rip a hole into the Ultimate Reality!"

            The others were silent until Tai spoke. "You said you could see the future, right? Will Millenniumon be able to do that?"

            Willis shook his head. "My powers are conditional. I don't have total control over them yet."

            "So you lied?"

            "No. I can only see the future if I have a clear perception of the events leading up to it. I knew Hypnos was coming here because of their high power levels and their hunting of the Dark Spore children.  I knew you would follow, but I can't see anything past this point, because there are too many variables."

            "Variables?" Derwood asked.

            "Yeah, the one you call Dark Sora is here."

            "What?" Sara and Sam gasped.

            "She's here?" Kari asked, "W..what's she doing here?"

            Willis shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't glimpse into her mind, it's almost like she doesn't have a purpose for being here, but I know she is seeking more power. She's probably just looking for a way."

            "Of course," Tai said, "That Digimon Queen is a nutcase just like Dark Ryo."

            Willis nodded. "You never tell your weakness to your enemy, that is why I told Hypnos I was able to clearly see the future."

            Derwood nodded. "So, we've got to get those kids, right?"

            "Not yet," Willis said, "There are some things that need to be taken care of first." He walked over to Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon. "Fate and reality have made the three of you partners. You were able to bio-merge once, you need to be able to do it again." He turned to Female Tai and Agumon, "The two of you must become partners."

            "Agumon?" Female Tai asked, "But, I'm partners with a Biyomon."

            "I know that. What was the Crest you had in your reality?"

            "Love."

            Willis nodded. "Then Agumon either has to accept your Crest of Love, but this will mean that you won't be able to be Biyomon's partner anymore, or you have to accept the Crest of Courage, which will mean that Tai won't be Agumon's partner, however, you will still be able to be your Biyomon's partner."

            Female Tai and Tai looked at each other. "I don't want to take your partner away from you," she said.

            Tai shrugged as best he could. "It's not like we really have a choice. I'm a cat right now, so it's not like I can digivolve him. Wait, Willis, since you have reality powers, can you make me a human body?"

            Willis shook his head. "My powers are psychic, not reality. But, that brings me to my third thing." He looked at Sara and Sam, "I'm sorry to say this, but Ryo has been reabsorbed by Dark Ryo."

            "What?" Sam gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

            "I'm sorry," Willis said, "We can save him, but Dark Ryo needs to be defeated. But we need a Reality Master, like Ryo was. So, one of you is going to have to drastically boost your powers."

            "Just one?" Sara asked.

            Willis nodded. "That's all I can do, I'm afraid."

            "All right," Sam said, "Sara can do it." The blond girl stared at her. "You've always been stronger then me. Go ahead."

            Sara nodded. "Okay, what do we have to do?"

            "There's a place in the Digital World, I'll explain more when we get there."

            Back in Japan, Dark Sora and Oikawa were sitting down in a coffee shop in the slums of the city. No one noticed them, or even cared, a perfect place to have a secret conversation.

            "I know you're not really Sora Takenouchi," Oikawa said, "And I'm pretty sure you're not a digimon, so who are you?"

            Dark Sora flashed a smile. "I am Sora Takenouchi, just not the one that you're familiar with."

            Oikawa stared at her. "You're from another reality, aren't you?"

            "That's right."

            He grinned. "To think, there is another reality out there besides just the Digital World. Tell me, how did you get here?"

            "On my world, I was a queen," she said, "Infused with the power of Apocalymon, I was the Goddess of the Digidestined. But, then I tried to extract revenge on Tai Kamiya and his sister, and was dethroned. I ended up here because I knew this was where, shall we say, others with reality powers had come to."

            "Really?" Oikawa grinned, "More like ourselves. How many?"

            "I don't know," she shook her head, "But I can feel him, Dark Ryo. He's the strongest one here."

            "Tell me, what are you doing here? In this Reality, I mean?"

            "Enjoying being alive for right now," she grinned, "Why, do have something in mind?"

            "Actually, I might. Tell me, what are your powers?"

            "I can alter reality for myself, and slightly for those around me."

            "Explain, please."

            "Well," she said, "I can change _my_ reality, like giving myself the power of flight, energy manipulation, morphing." She grinned slightly as her body grew from a sixteen-year-olds into a gorgeous thirty year olds. Her shoulder length red hair grew down to her waist and turned blond. Her yellow tank top and jeans merged into a short, low-cut black dress and her denim jacket became a black scarf. "See what I mean?"

            Oikawa nodded. He looked her over, from head to foot. "I really see what you mean."

            She raised her finger. "No no, don't touch." Her body began morphing again, this time shrinking until she was five years old. Her blond hair turned red again and her dress turned into an orange dress that reached her ankles. Her black scarf began a thick jacket worn by little kids.

            "All right," Oikawa said, "I get the point, hands off. Now, what were you saying about altering other peoples' realities?"

            Five-year-old Sora nodded. "I don't have as much control over that as I'd like. I guess there are certain..failsafes, that prevent us from changing reality, while we're inside.  No, we can, it just takes a lot of energy and power. Like, I have a limit to my reality powers while I'm here, but if I left this reality, and was still able to keep in contact with it, I could change a lot of things. I could change things here, but only if I could boost my power."

            Oikawa nodded. "What exactly can you do?"

            She mentioned to the bar, where a man dressed was drinking down a bear. She made a motion with her hands and the man spit out his drink. "What's wrong?" the waitress asked.

            "This bear, it's burning up!" he shouted, "It's on fire!"

            Oikawa chuckled. "Very good."

            "So," five-year-old Sora asked, "What's the job?"

            "Come with me," he said.

            When they left the café, five-year-old Sora changed back to Dark Sora and they walked down through the slums until they reached an old apartment building. They walked upstairs until they reached the only apartment on the top floor. Inside was a bunch of sophisticated computer equipment, and Mummymon and Arukennimon, in their human forms. They stared at Dark Sora. "Boss!" Mummymon gasped, "You brought a Digidestined here?"

            "Don't worry," he grinned, "she's on our side."

            "What's she doing here?" Arukennimon wanted to know.

            "You see, Sora," Oikawa said, "I'm looking for these things called, Dark Spores. I placed them in some children, and I've bidding my time until they started to sprout. Now, they're ready, and I'm going to use them to create a new body for myself, one with the power to alter reality."

            Dark Sora raised an eyebrow. "Really? And what do you want me to do?"

            "Help me find them, and you can rule by my side. You'll become a Queen again. What do you say?"

            Dark Sora nodded. "All right. What do we do first?"

            He looked at Arukennimon and Mummymon. "Well, have any of those kids been found?"

            "There's one at the park now, sir," Mummymon said.

            "Excellent. You two stay here, Miss Takenouchi and I will handle this."

            They ran to the location of the Dark Spore kid. It was a girl with short brown hair, walking down the sidewalk, in a section of town that didn't have any other people around. Oikawa and Dark Sora hid behind a dumpster and watched her walk past. "Who is that?"

            "Noriko," Oikawa said, "I remember her. Are you ready?"

            She grinned. "Oh yeah."

            The two waited until Noriko was in front of the dumpster before jumped out in front of her. She screamed slightly, and turned to run, but Dark Sora was much faster and jumped behind her. "You're not getting away." Oikawa grabbed Noriko and lightly injected a syringe into her shoulder. Her eyelids dropped and she went limp in his arms.

"Watch out," Dark Sora said, "We've got company."

            "Where?" Oikawa asked.

            The red head grinned as she turned around and saw a familiar blond girl. "Well, well, Alice! Funny meeting you here."

            The witch stared at her. "You!"

            "What's wrong?" Dark Sora laughed, "You're not happy to see me?"

            "Get out of here, now!" Alice shouted, "I'm here to take that girl back to Hypnos!"

            "Really?" Dark Sora asked.

            "Yes!" Alice grinned as she mentioned to a large dog standing at her side, "This is my grandfather."

            "Your grandfather?" Dark Sora gasped.

            "That's right," Alice grinned, "I had a digimon partner once, but he was killed by the D-Reaper. I later found out that my grandfather was dying, so I had Dr. Wong use his reality experiments and changed him into a likeness of my former partner." She pointed at Oikawa and Noriko, "Grampa, get them."

            The Dobermon charged at Oikawa. He grabbed a metal pipe that was lying on the ground and swung it at the large dog to keep him away.

Alice turned to Dark Sora. "And your little memory tricks aren't going to work on me!"

            "Oh, you mean when I told you about Apocalymon?"

            Alice glared at her. "Shut up! That's not going to work on me this time!"

            "I have Apocalymon's power inside me too," Dark Sora said, "You were infected with Apocalymon's power when you and the Tai from my world were in the desert. Don't you remember?"

            Alice clutched her head and fell onto her knees. In her mind's eye, she could clearly see herself and Emperor Tai walking through a desert. They were struggling to stay alive as the hot and arid air flowed over them. Apocalymon appeared in front of them, he wanted to kill them. They somehow beat him, but he exploded, and his power went into Tai and Alice's bodies.

            As her memories were returning to her, she collapsed onto the ground. With Alice on the ground, the Dobermon suddenly stopped his attack on Oikawa. "What happened?"  he asked, "Why did he stop?" He turned to look at Dark Sora, but saw that she had the unconscious Noriko in her arms. "What are you doing?"

            "Taking the power of the Dark Spore, what do you think?" she asked.

            "That power is mine!" Oikawa shouted, "Get away from her!"

            Dark Sora ignored him and continued to hold her palm over Noriko's closed eyes. Oikawa tackled her away, but his finger nail pierced the back of her neck. She spun around and tried to run at him, but she stumbled. She looked at him, but her vision became blurry.  "Wh…what…?"

            "You've been poisoned," Oikawa said, "From what I gathered about your powers, you need to concentrate to use them. And I'm betting you can't even see right now, can you? My Venom Infusion attack is pretty powerful."

            Alice regained herself. She looked and saw that Dark Sora was lying on the ground, with Oikawa grinning. She walked over to Dark Sora and stared down at her. "You, I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me! You made me remember things, things I wanted to forget!" She kicked Dark Sora in the stomach, then did again. She grabbed her hair and twisted her onto her back so she could stare into her eyes. "You're going to pay!"

            She looked over her shoulders and saw the Dobermon charging towards her. "You did this to me! My own granddaughter! Die!" He opened his mouth and breathed out an explosion of fire and black energy. Alice and Dark Sora were hit very badly. The self-proclaimed Digimon Queen had been too badly poisoned to fight back, and Alice was too weak after the trauma of regaining her repressed memories to withstand the attack. Both girls fell into unconsciousness.

            The Dobermon ran over to finish the job when he felt a sharp needle in his next. He fell onto the ground as Yamaki walked up to him, throwing a dart gun over his shoulder. Behind him was a squad of Hypnos soldiers. "Load up that Dobermon and Alice. Take them back to base."

            Riley walked over to him and pointed to Dark Sora. "What about her?"

            "Who cares?" he said, "Leave her. Let's go." They loaded up Dobermon and Alice, then left. Dark Sora lay facing the ground until Oikawa knelt beside her.  He checked her pulse.

            "Dead. No…a very faint pulse, but she's still alive. I don't think she's going to be waking up any time soon, though. The power to control reality," he grinned, "I wonder if this body still holds some of that power. I'll have to experiment." He swung the girl over his shoulder and walked away as well.

            Inside of the warehouse that acted as Hypnos's headquarters on this Earth, Alice lay in the infirmary, being examined by Dr. Wong. "Well?" Dark Ryo asked.

            "She unconscious," Wong said, "Give her time, she'll awaken."

            Dark Ryo nodded. He turned to Yamaki. "You said she was fighting a girl with red hair?"

            He nodded. "Yeah, so?"

            Dark Ryo frowned. "I have been feeling another person with reality powers here. I wonder if that was the Digimon Queen Sora. Where is the body?"

            He hesitated. "Y..you wanted the body?"

            "You didn't take the body?" he shouted, "You fool! I should skin you alive! Find it! Now!" He turned and stormed out of the infirmary.

            Yamaki frowned and marched out as well, followed by Dr. Wong. After everyone had left, the closed eyes of Alice suddenly shot open.

            _"I'm not defeated yet!"_ Dark Sora's voice shouted.

            To be continued…


	34. The Return Home: Part 4

Chapter 34:

The Return Home: Part 4

Alice walked through the halls of the Hypnos base, trying to blend in as much as possible. The soldiers that she passed didn't pay any attention to her, it was just a normal, everyday scene for them. But 'Alice' wasn't in control of the body at the moment.

_"I've got to get out of here. If I just suppress my true self as much as possible, Dark Ryo will probably just think that __Alice__ is up and about. "_ Dark Sora thought, "_I don't know how I got out of my body, but it was lucky that __Alice__ was right there. Since we both have the powers of Apocalymon, I guess I was just drawn to her body. " _She smiled as she looked herself over, "_Not a bad looking body either. If I can't return to my old body, maybe I'll just stay in this one. I will have to do something about her taste in clothes, though. While I like the black dress motif, I don't like how short this skirt is. Wait, what's this?"_

She stopped in front of a door that was much thicker then the others, it even had bars to reinforce it. _"I wonder what's on the other side?_" she thought. She checked the halls to make sure that she was alone, then grabbed the handle bars and pulled it open. Inside she saw a large black dog, chained to the floor by his neck and all four legs. The dog raised its head and stared at her.

"What do you want?" he asked, "Another mission?"

Alice grinned. "Maybe," she said. She tried to remember his name, "Dobermon."

The dog stared at her. "You're not Alice, are you?"

"How did you know that?"

Dobermon chuckled. "I was once Alice's grandfather, before she turned me into her digimon partner. We have a connection, and I could feel that something wasn't right. When you called me Dobermon, instead of Grandpa, I know you weren't her."

Alice nodded. "Fine, but as I remember, she could control you mentally. Maybe since I'm in her body, I can find out how to do that."

Dobermon stared at her. "All right, I'll keep quiet, but what are you doing?"

"I need to get back into my own body," she said, "But I have a feeling that I'm going to need to fight my way through a few obstacles. If you help me, I'll make sure that your connection to Alice is broken."

"I want more then that. I want to be human again."

Alice nodded. "Fine."

Dobermon nodded. "All right. Lead the way."

In the Digital World, Willis brought his guests to a special training ground. "A cave?" Gatomon asked.

"It's inside," Terriermon said.

Willis turned to the group. "Okay. Inside you'll find three tunnels. Sara, has to go through one, Female Tai and Agumon in another, and Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon in the last one. It doesn't matter which."

"What about the rest of us?" Tai asked, still in Sora's arms.

"We have to wait out here," Willis said.

"All right," Agumon said, "Fine." He looked at Tai. "I hope this works out."

Female Tai bowed in front of the cat. "Me too."

"Just go," Tai said, "We don't know what Hypnos is up to, so we'd better hurry."

The two nodded.

Sam hugged her twin sister. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Sara smiled, "Maybe when I get out, I'll be even stronger then Ryo was."

Kari turned to look at Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon. "I hope you guys do good too."

"Thanks," Takatomon smiled. "Well, I'm ready."

"Sure, let's go," Sara said. She lead them into the cave and they disappeared in the darkness.

Back on Earth, Oikawa had brought Dark Sora's body to his lab and had her lying flat on a table, with dozens of wires attached to her. The unconscious body of Noriko was still lying in a corner of the room. He had already drained her Dark Spore, he just needed to decide what to do with her.

He was standing at a computer screen. "This is very interesting," he smiled, "Her body still possess all of the power that she had. She's still alive, but, it's like her mind is missing. Maybe even her soul."

"That's because I'm right here!"

He turned around and saw Alice walking towards him, with Dobermon at her side. "You are there?" he asked, looking at Dark Sora's body, "But.."

"I've taken over Alice's body in order to take back mine," she said, "Hand over my body, or else."

Oikawa laughed. "Forgive me if I choose, 'or else.' I really don't think anything you have can stop me."

Alice grinned. "Alice's body is pretty powerful. Plus I have Dobermon here too. Want to reconsider?"

"No."

"All right, your funeral," Alice laughed, "Dobermon, why don't you take the first shot?"

He growled and charged at Oikawa. The human moved his hands in a quick manner and was covered by a black glow. Dobermon hit this glow and couldn't go any further.

"A force field?" Alice smiled, "You're more powerful then I thought, but just remember, Alice is a witch, so I can use her powers to break through your spell." She put both of her hands together and started to chant, but decided to throw a ball of darkness instead. It cut through Oikawa's shield and hit in the chest.

"I get it," Alice grinned, "Your spell only blocks physical attacks, not magical ones. So, take this!" She fired a black lightning bolt, which sent Oikawa into the wall.

"I'll kill you for that," he said. His hand suddenly grew longer and he tried to attack Alice from a distance, but his hand was now out of the protective seal, so Dobermon bit that arm with his large teeth.

"Good job," Alice grinned, she fired another dark lightning bolt at Oikawa. The human was stuck, he couldn't go anywhere with Dobermon's jaw on him, and Alice's magic attacks were becoming too much for him. He used his free hand and pierced the back of Dobermon's neck with his finger nail. The large digimon fell to the ground and let go of Oikawa's other arm.

"Venom Infusion, huh?" Alice asked, "That's what you called that attack, isn't it?"

Oikawa just grinned at her. He began to fire a group of black balls, but Alice formed her own shield. But this one was inversed, so the balls of black energy were sent back at Oikawa. He was thrown into the wall, and Alice wasted no time in using her black magic to pin him there. She raised her hand and created a large black spike and shoved it through Oikawa's chest.

She kept her black magic in check a while longer, just until Oikawa's body started glowing, and a different being came out. "Myotismon," Alice smiled, "I had a feeling it was you. Venom Infusion is an attack that only Venom Myotismon can use."

Myotismon tried to free himself, but he was stuck in Alice's energy web. If he had his own physical body, he could have escaped, but he was just a spirit, tied to Oikawa's body. "Let me go, right now!"

Alice grinned. "No. Goodbye." She tightened her energy web, and Myotismon and Oikawa both disappeared in black light.

She walked over to her old body, which was still lying on the examining table. Dobermon walked over to her. "You're back, I see."

"Yeah," he nodded. "I guess when you destroyed him, the poison was destroyed too. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and get back to my body, but maybe I can take Alice's power with me." She put her hands on her old body's head and concentrated, very hard. She felt herself leave Alice's body and enter her own, along with the other powers of Apocalymon.

Alice fell onto the ground and slowly opened her eyes. "Wa..what happened? Queen Sora Takenouchi? Grandpa! What? Where are we?"

Dark Sora's body began to glow brightly. The wires and sensors on her body were instantly destroyed as she floated into the air. Her body was coursing with lighting bolts of power and she grinned as she stared down at Alice. "What happened to you?"

"**Simply put, I've become a Goddess**!" Dark Sora laughed, "**I have the power of Apocalymon, and you have none!**"

"What?" Alice gasped. She tried to call on the powers that she always had been able to, but found that she couldn't. "You stole them?"

"**Yes!"**

"Give them back, right now!" Alice shouted.

"What about me?" Dobermon asked, "Remember our agreement?"

Dark Sora nodded. "**Yes, I do." **She turned and looked at the blond girl. _"_**You know ****Alice****, you've been nothing but a whinny little bitch since I met you. Maybe you should look the part!**" She fired a blast of energy from her hand that hit both Alice and Dobermon. It completely covered them, and when it faded, neither one was the same.

A teenager around 16 stood where Dobermon once stood. He looked himself over and grinned. "I'm human again! I'm human again!"

Dark Sora chuckled. **"I wish we could say the same for your granddaughter."**

He turned to a pile of Alice's clothes, but did not see her. He saw a Golden Labrador standing in her place. She looked at him, then at Dark Sora. She yelped and ran out of the building.

He laughed until he clutched his chest and fell over. Dark Sora grinned, lowering her palm. **"I said I'd turn you back into a human, I didn't say anything about letting you live."**

She suddenly started shaking. "**No! My body…can't take the power….have to leave…before….**."Alice and her grandfather were both gone, she was just thinking that she killed herself when she saw the unconscious body of Noriko, still in the corner of the room. She grinned and concentrated hard on her newly acquired power. She felt herself fly out of her body and land in Noriko's.

She got up from the floor and stared at her old body. It was lying on the ground, still shaking with energy, but it was slowly getting less and less. "Too much power," she said, "My body can't take that level of power. As long as it's comatose, it should be fine, but I'm not going to be able to use my _own_ body! Damn it! Wait.." A smile broke out over her face, "What did Oikawa say about those Dark Spores? He wanted to create a new body for himself. Why can't I do the same?"

She looked down at Noriko's body. "But first I need to get out of this body. I need one that's more powerful. Hmm, I bet one of the Digidestineds will do." She grabbed her old body and moved it to a safe place in Oikawa's base, inside one of the wooden crates. She then hid it behind a pile of computer equipment.

"Hopefully no ones comes before I get back," Noriko said, "Well, better get going."

In the Hypnos headquaters, Riley walked into the dinning hall where the leaders of Hypnos were eating, except for Alice. No one knew where she was. She made sure she bowed. "Lord Ryo, I have news to report."

Dark Ryo nodded. "What is it?"

"Sir, I've just received reports from our spies in the Digital World. They saw they saw the Tamers and their friends."

"Where?" Yamaki asked.

"The natives of the area say it's some kind of magical cave or something, but the only protection they have are a Terrierimon and a Gatomon. The rest are in the cave."

Dark Ryo smiled. "If we could destroy the cave entrance before they come out."

"I think I may have something that can help," Wong said, "A new creature that I want to try out. It's my lab."

Dark Ryo nodded. "Fine. Yamaki, lead the team. And don't screw up this time!"

He bowed. "Of course not, sir."

In the Digital World….

"Biyomon!" Sora smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I told her you were here," Willis smiled, "I thought you might like to see her, since you were in the Digital World."

Sora smiled as she hugged her partner, which left Tai to climb into Kari's arms. "Not that it matters to me anyway."

Kari giggled. "Are you jealous?"

"No!" Tai snapped, "Well…"

His sister smiled and started to pet him. "How long have those guys been in there?"

"About an hour," Sam said, looking at her watch.

Tai jumped off of Kari's lap. "I'm so nervous."

Don't be," Willis said, "I'm sure that everything will work out just fine."

"I hope so."

Willis smiled, then gasped. "What's wrong?" Terriermon asked.

"Someone's coming," he said, lightly tapping his crest, "I can see it."

"What about the others?" Tai asked, "Agumon's still inside the cave."

"Leave them," Willis said, "If we disturb them now, they might have to start their training all over again."

"Darn," Tai said, "All right, I guess we're just going to have to hold them off ourselves."

"Don't worry," Gatomon smiled, "I can do it."

"Don't forget about me," Terriermon said, "I'm here to fight too."

"Me too," Biyomon said.

Willis pointed to the sky as a helicopter flew towards them. "Digivolve!" the humans shouted.

"Terriermon digivolve to Gargomon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to Birdramon!"

The helicopter landed and Yamaki, Riley and a group of Bakemon jumped out. "Greetings," Yamaki laughed, "It looks like you're all lined up to die."

"I should be saying that to you!" Tai shouted.

Yamaki laughed even harder. "I find it hard to be threatened by a cat! Bakemon group, attack!"

"Don't let them through," Gatomon ordered. She jumped at a Bakemon and destroyed it with her claws. She attacked another one, and another one. "This is easier then I thought it'd be."

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon shouted. She fired her attack at a group of Bakemon and destroyed them too. "I know."

"Don't give up now," Gargomon said, "We've got them on the ropes." He fired his bullets at the diminishing army of Bakemon.

Sam looked over her shoulder at the care. "I hope they hurry up in there."

Yamaki growled as he watched the battle. "Our forces are losing!"

"I know sir," Riley said.

"Looks like we'll have to handle the cave in ourselves," he grinned. He reached at his side and pulled out what looked like a shot gun. He aimed at a group of large rocks over the cave entrance and fired. The rocks went into a landslide and sealed the opening.

"Oh no!" Willis shouted, "They'll be trapped."

"We've got another surprise for you," Yamaki smiled as he snapped his fingers. Another helicopter flew over their heads and dropped a giant creature onto the ground. It looked like a man, but his left arm was on fire, his right arm was covered by a very small whirlwind, his left foot was made of water and his right foot was made of stone.

"Meet Terra," Yamaki said, "He's Wong's latest creation. Hope you enjoy. Terra, destroy them."

The creature growled and ran forward. He shot a fire ball at Gatomon, and a blast of hard air at Gargomon. "I've got to help them," Sam said. She made her fingernails grow into long claws, and ran at Terra. He easily punched her in the stomach and she went flying backwards.

"I know you can fight," Kari said, "But you're still only human."

Sam coughed. "Yeah. Sara and I haven't merged completely with our partners like Takato and Rika did. We're still human, just with some added powers."

Gargomon and Birdramon attacked Terra. He slammed the ground with his rock leg and a rock wall appeared in front of him to block the attacks. The wall disappeared after.

"I have enough of this," Yamaki shouted, "Destroy them now!"

Terra nodded and created two giant balls of fire. He threw them at Gargomon and Birddramon. Both Digimon exploded in a burst of fire.

"Biyomon!" Sora shouted. She started crying, "Biyomon's…gone. No!"

"Terriermon," Willis gasped, "Why couldn't I see this coming?"

Yamaki grinned. "Terra, finish them off."

He stomped forward, but stopped when he heard a rumbling noise. The caved-in mountain exploded as a giant knight jumped through.

"Gallantmon?" Sam asked.

"We did it!" Gallantmon said, in a mixture of Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon's voices.

"Yeah, " a golden eagle said, "But it looks like Tai and the others are in trouble."

"Go for it, Eaglemon!" Female Tai shouted, "Do it!"

Gallantmon pointed his lance at Terra. "Lightning Joust!"

Eaglemon open his mouth and fired a beam of yellow light. "Kaiser Phoenix!"

Both attacks hit Terra in the chest and back in the air. He landed in front of Yamaki and Riley. The blond man growled. "Let's get out of here." He jumped into the helicopter with Riley and Terra and flew back into the sky.

Gallantmon and Eaglemon returned to their original forms. "So, I guess you guys were able to do it, huh?" Tai asked.

Derwood nodded. "Yeah, it was really…" He stopped when he noticed that Tai wasn't listening to him. He was looking at Agumon and Female Tai.

"I'm sorry," Female Tai said, "Agumon used the Crest of Love to digivolve."

Tai nodded. "No..it's..it's fine. Where's Sara?"

"Right behind you," she said. She bent down and lightly petted him. He gave her a sour look.

"Sorry," she smiled.

"Did it work?" Sam asked, "Are you any stronger?"

"I feel stronger," Sara smiled, "But I think it's going to take some time before I can fully use my potential. Once I can, I'll be able to return you to normal, Tai."

"Great, just great." Tai said. He looked at Agumon and Female Tai, and the crying Sora and Willis. "Great."

To Be Continued….


	35. Evil Memories

Chapter 35: Evil Memories

Noriko walked down the sidewalk. Everyone that passed her by thought that she was just a normal girl. What they didn't realize was that _Noriko _was still unconscious and that the evil spirit of Dark Sora was in control of her body.

"I can't stay in this body forever," she said to herself, "She's too young, and doesn't have any powers. I need someone stronger, like the Digidestined! I've got to find them."

She frowned. She didn't have any idea where they lived in this world, but she did see Matt Ishida at that mall food court. Maybe they hung out there a lot. Maybe she could find one soon.

Noriko grinned to herself and made her jumped onto the first bus she saw. She sat down in the back seat and looked around at the other passengers. Most of them looked around 8-12, the age of the body she was in.

She tried to remember when she was this young, but since _Dark _Sora wasn't technically born yet, those memories didn't feel like her's. She could remember, after touching Emperor Tai's body and being filled with Apocalymon's powers. It was time to start her revenge.

_Dark Sora proudly sat on Emperor Tai's old throne. At her side were Agumon and Gabumon. She stared down at the kneeling Devimon, who was wearing a Dark Spiral. "We're ready to start, my Queen."_

_ Dark Sora grinned and got up from her throne. She walked out to a small balcony, overlooking a army of black digimon. Her black dress and cape flung in the wind. She raised her hand and the army cheered. "Today we reclaim the empire that Emperor Tai once had! We start by destroying the Digidestined!" She grinned, "It's time to tell them the Digiworld has a new ruler. Let's go!"_

Noriko was brought out of her memory when she felt the bus stopped in front of the Nerima department store. She jumped off and ran inside the mall. She searched for at least an hour before finding a Digidestined. It was Cody Hida, buying some books from the book store. When he got out, he spotted Noriko. He almost dropped the books in his hand. He started running towards her.

"Perfect," she said to herself, "I'll take his body, and get closer to the Digidestined, until I get a stronger one." She ran into the nearest store, a clothing store, and hid in the back. Cody followed.

"Noriko!" he gasped, "Do you remember who I am?"

_"Shoot!"_ Noriko thought, _"He already knows her?"_

"I was watching you, right after Oikawa infected you with the Dark Spore," Cody explained.

"Oh, right," she said, "Well, what do you want?"

"I've got to try to convince you how wrong you are," he said, "That Dark Spore won't help you in any way."

Noriko grinned. "I think you're wrong." She reached out and grabbed hold of Cody's wrist. She concentrated as hard as she could, and felt herself fling from Noriko's body and enter the boy's body.

Cody blinked at few times and stared down at the floor, where the unconscious body of Noriko lay. He grinned a twisted-smile. "I did it, perfect." He frowned, "But this body is strong enough, not like I expected it to be. I'd better get going."

He reached into his pocket to check his identification, when he found his D-terminal. "What's this?" he asked, opening the top, "Some kind of electronic address book." He started looking through what was saved onto it, when he found a list of addresses, especially the ones for the rest of the Digidestined. He paused slightly over Matt's address, but kept going until he saw Davis's address.

"Davis Motomiya," he smiled, "He was the leader of the Digidestined back on my world. He must be the strongest one here. I've got to get to him."

He started running to Davis's apartment, remembering again.

_Davis and Ken stared at Dark Sora as Agumon and Gabumon snapped Dark Rings onto their arms. The Digimon Queen grinned, "Yes! Now, I'm the ruler of the Digidestined! I need to find the Tai Kamiya from this world, got it?"_

_ "How?" Ken asked._

_ "I need you to build me a machine that'll boost my reality powers so I can search."_

_ "Yes, my Queen," Ken bowed._

_ "I'm going to have my revenge!" Dark Sora laughed, "I'm going to have my revenge!"_

"Cody!"

He turned around and saw Yolei running towards him. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Did you get the books?"

"Books?" he asked.

"Yeah, the books, remember? Oh, you didn't get them? Why not?"

Cody tried to think of a lie, but Yolei grabbed his wrist and started dragging him back towards the mall. "We've got to buy them, remember?"

"I need to see Davis," Cody protested.

"Why?" she asked, "We've got a project to do, remember?"

"I need to see Davis," he said again.

"He's at Ken's house, remember?"

He sighed. "Why can't anything go according to the damn plan!"

Yolei gasped. Cody didn't ever talk like that. "Cody, are you alright?"

Cody was getting angry. He focused and was suddenly in Yolei's body.

She turned around and saw Cody lying on the ground, same as Noriko. She grinned wickedly. "This is getting easier and easier, but I need my own body, I need those Dark Spores! But until that time…"

She checked her D-terminal for Ken's address, then she walked over Cody's body and headed towards Ken's apartment.

Meanwhile……

A golden Labrador walked down the sidewalks of Tokyo. This was not any ordinary dog, she used to be a human teenager. Alice didn't panic. If she could just get to Dark Ryo, he would be able to change her back.

But she was scared. She was starting to remember things that she thought didn't happen to her. She could remember being with Emperor Tai in a desert, fighting Apocalymon. She somehow slipped through worlds and landed in the desert in the Digital World connected to Emperor Tai's world. She found that Tai, who was still partnered with Agumon, and they tried to find a way out of the desert. Apocalymon appeared, but War Greymon stopped him. She now could clearly remember the feelings she had for Emperor Tai. They were in love with each other! After Apocalymon was deleted and his power entered Emperor Tai and Alice, they lost their memories. She got back to her own world and met Dark Ryo, and he sent her after Emperor Tai.

Alice got to the door of the abandoned factory building that Hypnos was using as their base. She got onto her hind legs and started scratching the door. After a long time, the door finally opened and a Hypnos soldier looked out. He kicked Alice in the side. "Get out of here! Go on, get!"

Alice ran past him and ran down the hall until he got to Dark Ryo's room. He was lying in his cot, but looked up when he saw the dog. "How the hell did you get in here?" he asked, "Get out!"

Alice wanted to tell him who she really was, but it only came out as whines. Dark Ryo stared at her. He put his hand over Alice's head and used his power to read her mind.

He stood up and stared down at her. "So, you got your memory back, huh? And you lost your reality powers, too? So tell me, what good are you? Huh? Why should I waste my time changing you back when you can't give me anything back? Huh?"

Alice stepped back and stared at him. He wasn't going to change her back!

Dark Ryo grinned. "I'll give you a chance to live." He kicked her in the stomach. "Go on, leave now before I change my mind!"

Alice stared at him and started barking. Dark Ryo pointed his palm at her and a dark energy blast sent her back. She whimpered and ran out of his room.

Dark Ryo felt a familiar tingle in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and teleported to the very bottom of the factory which was connected to a giant underground subway tunnel, where Millenniumon was crunched inside. "That was cold," the giant digimon said.

"She's useless to us now," Dark Ryo said, "I let her live, that was enough."

"How many Dark Spores do we have?" Millenniumon asked.

"We only need a few more," Dark Ryo said, "And our connection should be stronger, since I re-absorbed my so called lighter side. Don't worry, once we open the entrance to all reality, we'll control everything!"

Meanwhile, Yolei had made it to Ken's apartment building. She didn't even need to go into the building because Davis came out of the door. Finally, something went right.

"Yolei?" Davis asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you and Cody were doing something for school."

She needed to get closer. She grinned a sexy smile. "I just wanted to see you so much."

"What?"

She jumped over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I need you, right now." She kissed him, allowing her spirit to flow into Davis's body.

Yolei's unconscious body fell onto the ground and Davis grinned.

"Perfect! This body is powerful! He has so much Digi-energy in it! But, why can I feel something else? There's someone else who's even stronger!" He grinned, "Matt."

Inside of Willis's house in Colorado, the humans sat in the living room and the Digimon were on the floor. Since Gatomon was on Kari's lap, Tai crawled onto Sora's. "All right," Tai said, "We did that training thing, now what do we do?"

"We've got to go back to Japan and confront Hypnos and the Digimon Queen Sora," Sara said.

"But what can I do?" Sora asked, "Biyomon's dead! Willis has his powers, but what good am I?"

"And me?" Tai asked, "I'm a cat! I don't even have a partner anymore."

"I might be able to help," Sara said, "My reality powers got a lot stronger, but I don't think I can change you back to a human yet."

"Why not?"

"It's hard to do," she said, "I could do it to myself, because it's just easier. It's harder to change one thing into another, especially something less complex to something more complex."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked.

"A human body is a lot more complicated then a cat's. You know, there's a lot more chromosomes, DNA, stuff like that."

"So why did you say you could help?"

"I might be able to turn you into a Digimon, Sora's partner."

"What?" Tai and Sora asked.

"How is turning me into a Digimon easier then a human?"

"I just need a Digimon's file to copy it. If I have something to copy from, I can make it."

"Wait a minute," Kari said, "If the Digimon Emperor Tai didn't die, could you…?"

"Probably," she sighed, "But we can't do anything about that now."

"Could I help?" Female Tai asked.

Sara shook her head. "No, because you're a girl. Tai would end up in a girl's body.

Sora, give me your Digivice."

"Wait a minute," Tai said, "Is this going to give me any problems? Is it permanent?"

"Permanent just like your cat body," she said, "Once we free Ryo, he'll be able to give you a new body. This way, you'll be able to fight."

Tai sighed. "Alright."

Sara held Sora's Digivice in one hand and concentrated as hard as she could on her reality powers. Tai felt something weird happening to his cat body. Sara smiled and handed the Digivice back to Sora. "There."

"That's it?" Tai asked, "I still look the same."

"You're an In-training Digimon right now," she said, "You can Digivolve when you need to."

Tai stared at Sora. "I've got a bad feeling about what I'm Digivolving into."

"We'd better get to Japan as soon as we can," Willis said, "I foresee that something very dark is going to happen very soon."

Back in Japan, Davis sat in his room, staring at the address that was in his D-terminal. "Ishida wasn't at his apartment," he said, "I don't have any idea where he is! I was so close! I've got no choice, I'm going to need to use Motomiya's body!"

He slammed his fist into the wall. "If that so-called Dark Ryo attacks with his Milleniumon partner, Motomiya's power won't be able to stop them. From what I can feel from this body, Ishida's stronger. And I'll need that power if I…"

The door opened and June walked inside. "What are you doing home, you dweeb?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You were hanging out with Ken, weren't you? I'm not staying home to baby-sit you."

"Baby-sit me?" Davis shouted, "I don't need to be baby-sat!"

June laughed. "You're still the baby of the family. Well, tell Mom and Dad that I'm going to Matt's concert."

"Concert?" Davis asked, "Where?"

"At the town concert hall, duh!" June sighed. She blinked her long eyelashes. "I hope he notices me tonight."

Davis grinned. "I think he will." He ran over and grabbed June's hand, and soon his body fell onto the ground.

June blinked a few times and stared at Davis's unconscious body. She grinned. "Alright, Ishida, you're next!"

She ran all the way to the concert hall. She had to pretend to be the stupid fan-crazed girl until the end of the show. She ran back stage. "Matt!"

"Oh no!" he gasped, "June?"

"That's right!" she grinned. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. In her home world, she used to be in love with the Matt Ishida of her world. She felt a few lingering feelings, but she pushed them away.

"June, what are you doing?" Matt asked.

"I need you!" she grinned, "Right now!"

Matt tried to push her away. "June, stop it!"

She kissed him and her body twitched and fell to the ground. Matt took a few deep breaths, and almost shouted out loud. He ran out of the concert hall.

"Hey, where's Matt going?" one of his band members asked.

"I don't know, he didn't take his guitar."

At Oikawa's apartment building lab, Arukennimon and Mummymon walked inside. Arukennimon looked at the debris around the lab. "What happened here?"

"It looked like a war or something," Mummymon said.

"You two are here, good."

They turned to the door and saw Matt standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" Arukennimon asked.

"How did you find us?" Mummymon asked.

"I've been here before," Matt said, "I killed Oikawa and Myotismon, and now, I'm taking over this little operation."

"What? You've got to be kidding! We're going to tear you apart!"

Matt snapped his fingers and Metalgarurumon smashed through the doorway. "I think you know Metalgarurumon."

"Why is he wearing a Dark Ring?" Mummymon asked.

"He wasn't as cooperative as I wanted him to be," Matt said, "Now listen, I'm really the Digimon Queen Sora Takenouchi. My body was overloaded with the powers of Apocalymon. I want your help to get the Dark spores and use them to create a new body for me that can handle that power."

"Why should we?" Arukennimon asked.

"If I put a Dark Ring on Metalgarurumon, I can put one on you. I'm just giving you the choice of helping me willingly."

The two Digimon looked at each other. "Okay, fine."

Matt grinned. "Good. We need to get Dark Rings onto the other Digidestined and their Digimon. I'll be the Queen of the Digidestined again. And once I get my new body and destroy Ryo and Milleniumon, I'll be the Queen of every reality too!"

To be continued


	36. The Final Battle: Part 1

Chapter 36: The Final Battle Part 1

Tai's small group was standing in the airport. Tai, Agumon and Gatomon were hiding in their partner's backpacks and Takatomon and Rikamon were hiding outside. "All right," Sara said, "We should probably split up and try to find out where Hypnos and Dark Sora are hiding."

"How?" Female Tai asked.

"Bait," Derwood said, "Just find a kid with a Dark Spore and wait until one of them shows up."

"What?" Sam asked.

"It's the only way," he said.

"Why don't you try that?" Kari said, "We need to get back to our homes."

"I guess we're going back to the warehouse, huh?" Female Tai asked.

"Better then going home," Kari sighed, "I'm going to get grounded forever."

Meanwhile…

Matt stood in front of the other Digidestined, who were all wearing Dark Rings on their arms. Matt was really Dark Sora, wearing his body.

"We need to find the children with the Dark Spores inside, understand?" he said, "I need those spores to make a new body for me. Then I can become the queen of all reality."

The Digidestined nodded in unison.

"Good," he said, "now get out there and get those kids!"

Outside, a Golden Labrador sat outside of the building. She watched the Digidestined leave, including Matt. She wondered why Dark Sora wasn't able to sense her, but remembered that she didn't have her powers anymore, she wasn't even human anymore. Dark Sora did this to her, and she was going to pay.

Meanwhile….

"Kari, where have you been?" Mrs. Kamiya shouted, "It's been four days since you left!"

"Mom," Kari said, "I was in America with Sora. Didn't you get my phone message?"

"Yes, we did," Mr. Kamiya said, "But that doesn't mean we approve of you just leaving for America like that. Tai's been missing for weeks, and then you just got out of that coma. What is going on here?"

"And if you don't tell us," Mrs. Kamiya said, "You'll be grounded for a month for this stunt."

Kari hesitated but shook her head. "I can't. I promise you that Tai is safe, but that's all."

Mrs. Kamiya pointed to Kari's room. "Get inside, you're grounded."

At Sora's house, Tai was sitting on her bed as she sat down at her desk and started to type into her computer. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to try to e-mail the other Digidestined," she said. Tai jumped off of the bed, then jumped onto her lap.

Sora smiled and started to pet him. "You started to act like a real cat."

"Don't say that," he said, "I've gone through a lot of changes lately, and now I'm your Digimon partner."

"And we don't even know what you'll digivolve into."

"That's really weird," Sora said, "My IM screen says that everyone's online, but they're not opening a chat room with me."

"What about Kari?"

"She's not online. I guess you were right, and she's grounded now."

She looked at her watch. "Well, it's dinner time. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah."

Sora carried him into the kitchen. They saw Mrs. Takenouchi sitting at the table. "Hi, Sora, did you enjoy your trip?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I really liked seeing America again." She put Tai down and grabbed the cat food from the pantry. She poured it into Tai's food dish and he started eating. Sora grabbed food for herself from the fridge and started eating at the table. Tai felt weird eating on the floor instead of at the table. Even though Sora knew who he really was, he was still stuck in the cat's body. They had to get Ryo back so he could get his real body back, he couldn't live as a cat anymore.

After dinner, Sora decided to watch some tv and Tai jumped onto her lap. Sora started to pet him. "I'm really sorry, but you're acting like a cat."

Tai put his head down on Sora's leg. "_I can't be a cat anymore, I can't! What if I can't change back? What will my life be like?"_

He imagined his own cat bed in Kari's room, eating from a cat bowl while the rest of his family ate at the table. He sat on Kari's lap when they watched television. His mother carried him on their family vacations. And cats don't even live as long! He needed to get back to normal, before it was too late.

Meanwhile….

Dark Ryo turned to Wong. "You found it?"

"That's right," he said, "I found the entrance to the Ultimate Reality, it's in a summer camp near here."

"That's excellent," he smiled. He turned to Yamaki. "Now we just need the Dark Spores. I want you to find them, right now. And find whoever is daring to steal them from me, got it?"

"Yes," he bowed.

"And I've heard that Tai Kamiya is back in Japan. Do something about that."

"Right, I'll send Terra after them."

After dispatching Terra, Yamaki, Riley and Taily walked down the sidewalk trying to find another kind with Dark Spores. They found a small boy sitting on the swings all by himself. "Great," Yamaki said, "Now we just need to wait until someone tries to take him. Taily, I want you to pretend to be a kid his age. Stay by him."

She nodded and walked over to the playground. She pretended to be five years old and ran around like one. "She's getting worse, isn't she?" Riley asked.

"Her own fault," Yamaki said, "She shouldn't have asked Wong to mess with her DNA like that. She'll just keep getting younger until she disappears."

The Hypnos group didn't notice, but Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon were hiding on the other side of the park. They got bored waiting at the warehouse so they looked around the city until they saw Yamaki and Riley.

"That's got to be one of those kids," Rikamon said, "Are we just going to wait around until they make a move?"

"Yup," Derwood said, "Get comfortable."

Meanwhile,

Matt walked down the mall and saw that a lot of girls were staring at him. "No matter what world, I guess Matt always makes the girls stare at him." He kept walking until a girl ran in front of him. She was his age, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a skirt ending in her mid-thighs.

"You're Matt Ishida, right?"

He nodded. Might as well play along. "Yeah."

She giggled. "Um, I was wondering if you would sigh an autograph?"

Matt smiled. "Why don't you come with me?"

Across town, Sora was walking towards Kari's apartment with Tai in her backpack. She saw Izzy and Joe walking towards her. "Hey, Izzy! Joe!" she shouted.

They turned and stared at her. "Sora, were have you been?" Joe asked, not emotional at all.

"I was in America, with Tai," she said

"I thought Tai was missing," Izzy asked, in the same tone as Joe. "Where is he?"

Sora stared at her two friends and knew something was wrong. "I don't know. I haven't seen Tai for almost a month."

"That's too bad," Izzy said, "You should tell us when he comes back. We would like you, Tai and Kari to see Matt as soon as possible."

"I..I'm meeting Kari right now," Sora said, "I'll tell her when I see her."

"Good," Joe smiled, "I will see you again."

She waited until they were gone before whispering to Tai. "They sure were acting weird. What happen here while we were away?"

They were waiting for Kari outside of the apartment building. She finally came down, with Gatomon in her backpack. "I had to sneak out," she said, "We've got to finish this really soon, or I don't think I'll ever be allowed out of the house again."

They were walking down the street, when a giant figure dropped down in front of them. The people on the street started scream and ran away. "Terra?" Tai asked.

"Lord Ryo wants to see you at once."

"Forget it!" Sora shouted, "We're not going anywhere."

Kari dropped Gatomon on the sidewalk. "Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

Sora held her Digivice in her hands. "Tai, are you ready to try?"

He nodded. "All right. Taimon digivolve to Biyomon!"

"Biyomon?" Sora asked.

Tai sighed. "I had a feeling this was going to happen. Man, I hate being a girl! All right, digivolve me again."

"Biyomon digivolve to Birdramon!"

"Birdramon?" Sora, Gatomon and Kari gasped.

Tai flapped her new wings and flew into the sky. "All right, let's get this over with so I can change back."

"I'm right behind you," Gatomon said. "Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

"Go get him, Angewomon!" Kari shouted.

"Tai, please be careful," Sora said.

Angewomon started to attack Terra right away, but Tai was still flying in the air. "I can use Birdramon's attacks. Meteor Wing!" The balls of fire smashed into the ground. He hit everything except for Terra, it was like her attacks were shooting all over.

"You're not very good at this are you?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Angewomon said, "Don't try to control the attack after you start it, just point and go."

Tai pointed her new mouth at Terra. "Meteor Wing!" This time, the balls of fire hit Terra, but the fire portion of his body just absorbed them.

"Great," she said, "Now what?"

"Let me," Angewomon said. She formed her Celestial Arrow and fired into Terra's fire arm. He yelled out in pain, but he pointed his other arm at the two flying Digimon and they were hit by a powerful blast of air.

"Keep hitting him!" Kari ordered.

Tai used her Meteor Wing again, but this time aimed for Terra's wing arm. He yelled out in even more pain. Angewomon fired her arrow at the arm. It exploded, leaving him with only one arm.

"All right!" Tai shouted.

Terra jumped into the air and smashed both of his feet into the ground. Water and rocks flew up at Tai.

"Tai, no!" Sora shouted, "Tai!" A small area near Sora's heart started to glow.

"It's my crest," she said, "My spiritual Crest of Love." She looked at Tai and saw him start to glow. "Tai, you can digivolve!"

"Birdramon digivolve to Garudamon!"

Tai looked over her new body. "At least I've got arms again."

"Now we've got two Ultimates," Kari said, "All right, finish him off!"

"Wing Blade!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

The attacks combined together and hit Terra directly in the chest. He fell onto his back before disappearing in a burst of smoke. Angewomon changed back into Gatomon and Tai changed back to his cat form. They landed in their partner's arms. "Let's hurry up and get out of here," Tai said, "Before the people get their courage back and come back."

Meanwhile,

Derwood, Rikamon and Takatomon were about to give up when Cody and Yolei showed up. "Are they part of Tai and Kari's Digidestined?" Derwood asked, "What are they doing here?"

Yamaki and Riley were surprised too, but just watched as Cody and Yolei grabded the little boy and walked off. They followed them, and Derwood and his two Digimon partners followed them. They walked across town to Oikawa's old warehouse. The rest of the Digidestined and Matt were standing outside.

"This should be the last one, except for Ichijoji," Matt said, "I'll have my new body very soon, and I'll rule every reality! Me, Sora Takenouchi, the Queen of all Reality!"

Yamaki, Riley and Taily stared at each other. "The Digidestined of this world are under that Digimon Queen Sora Takenouchi? This is interesting indeed. Let's get back to Lord Ryo."

They didn't see Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon as they left. "We've got to tell the others," Takatomon said, "Now."

To be continued….

Sorry this is so short, but the next chapter will be longer, promise.


	37. The Final Battle: Part 2

Chapter 37: The Final Battle: Part 2

Inside of Oikawa's laboratory, Matt and the controlled Digidestined were staring up at the strange machinery, while Dark Sora's real body was attached to it by a series of wires. "It's almost ready," Matt said, "Once the energy from the Dark Spores is absorbed into my real body, I'll have enough strength to handle all of Apocalymon's power. And then…then I'll defeat Ryo and Milleniumon and become the supreme reality master!"

Outside…

Sora and Kari gently dropped the two cats they were holding onto the ground then they sat down on the two benches. They looked around at the dark park. "I don't see them anywhere," Kari said.

"They should be here soon," Tai said, "This was where we said we'd meet."

Gatomon jumped onto the back of the park bench. Her ears started to twitch. "Wait, I hear someone."

Sora looked up and smiled. "It's them."

Sara, Sam, Takatomon, Rikamon and Derwood walked over to them. "We've got something really important to tell you," Takatomon said.

"What?" Tai asked.

"It's the other Digidestineds," Derwood said, "They're being controlled by Dark Sora."

"And it gets worse," Rikamon said, "It looks like she's possessing Matt Ishida's body until she can make another one for herself."

"This just gets worse and worse," Sora sighed, "What are we going to do now?"

Gatomon suddenly arced up and her fur stood up on ends. "What's wrong?" Kari asked. She looked up and saw a large Golden Labrador walking towards them.

Tai jumped into Sora's arms. "Keep it away from me!"

"Wait a second," Sara said, "There's something familiar about this dog." She walked over and was surprised when the dog didn't try to run away. The dog used its paw to dig away part of the rocks and dirt that were making up the path. Sara looked down when it was finished and almost screamed.

"It wrote something in the ground!"

Sam ran over and started reading. "I am Alice?" She looked at the dog. "You're Alice?"

The dog nodded.

"What happened to you?"

She barked.

"Oh, I can take care of that," Sara said. She walked over and placed her hand over Alice's throat. She kept it there for a few seconds, then pulled it away. "There, you can talk now."

Alice opened her jaw a few times before her voice came out. "H..Hello? Hello! I..I can talk!"

"I made it so your vocal cords are like a humans," Sara said.

"What happened to you?" Tai asked.

"Queen Sora stole all of my power, then turned me into this dog! She's been stealing the Dark Spores in order to make a new body for herself. She took over Oikawa's operations, we've got to stop her!"

"What about Hypnos?" Takatomon asked, "You were Dark Ryo's second in command."

"That's over now," she said, "He threw me out when I lost my powers. I've got nothing left for him. Besides, he made me fight the only person I ever loved, the one you call the Digimon Emperor Tai Kamiya. He made me forget, and I want to pay him back!"

"All right," Tai said, "Since Queen Sora has the Digidestined under her control, let's fight her first. If our friends are free, then they can help us."

"Let's do it," Derwood said.

Meanwhile…

Yamaki walked through the halls of the Hypnos base. He approached Dark Ryo's throne room. "I've got news."

"What?" he asked.

"I know where the missing energy from the Dark Spores are," he said, "the Queen Sora Takenouchi has taken it. I know where she is."

Dark Ryo grinned. "Excellent. I will not tolerate this any more! Gather an army, and wait at the entrance to the Ultimate Reality."

"But..?" he asked.

"Milleniumon and I will be taking care of Queen Takenouchi. Hurry up."

"Y..yes sir."

Back at Oikawa's lab…

Sora held Tai closely to her chest as they walked up to the building. "This is where my double is?" Sora asked.

"That's right," Alice said.

"All right," Tai said, "We need to go in fast and quick, but we can't hurt our friends."

"How are we even going to free them, much less get the Queen Sora out of Matt's body?" Kari asked.

"Uh, I guess we'll have to think of that when we get there," he said. He jumped out of Sora's arms and landed on the ground. "All right, evolve me."

"Taimon digivolve to Biyomon!"

She flapped her wings. "All right, let's do this."

They ran through the door of the old apartment building, but as soon as they got to the main lobby, they were stopped by the Digidestined. Davis was leading them.

"Stop now," he said, "Queen Sora wants you dead, now!"

"Sora, Sara, Tai," Kari said, "Why don't you go and find Dark Sora, we'll take care of this."

"Are you sure?" Sara asked.

"Yeah," Female Tai said, "Just leave it to us."

"We'll cover you," Agumon said.

"They should be wearing Dark Rings," Tai said, "Aim for them."

Tai, Sara and Sora waited a few seconds before running for the stairs. Stingmon went to stop them, but Takatomon jumped in the way. He punched Stingmon back into Exveemon's arms.

"Davis and Ken have a mega Digimon, "Kari said.

"So we'll take care of them, "Derwood said.

"We'll have to fight Tk," Kari said.

"I'll take Yolei." Sam said.

Female Tai and Agumon mentioned to Joe and Izzy. "I guess we have them."

Exveemon and Stingmon DNA digivolved together and became Imperialdramon and Derwood, Takatomon and Rikamon Bio-merged together and became Gallantmon. They burst through the wall of the building and starting fighting.

Agumon warpdigivolved to his new mega form of Eaglemon and started fighting Ikkakumon and Kabuterimon. Gatomon digivolved to Angewomon and started to fight Shakkoumon. Sam made her nails grow into long cat claws and started fighting Aquillamon.

Upstairs, Tai, Sora and Sara ran into Oikawa's main laboratory. Matt and Gabumon were standing in front of the machinery. "Dark Sora!" Tai cried.

Matt turned around and smiled slyly. "Look who's here. Well, I guess you found me, huh?"

"Release the other Digidestineds right now!" Sara ordered.

"Not yet," he said, "It's only going to be a few more minutes before I'm ready for my new body. Until then, Gabumon, attack."

"Gabumon digivolve to Metalgarurumon!"

Tai jumped forward. "Biyomon digivolve to Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to Garudamon!"

She used the back of her hand to block Metalgarurumon and the two of them smashed through the ceiling. Sara flew up after them.

"So, you're the Sora of this world," Matt said, "I could have taken your body if I really wanted to, but you're so weak."

Sora ran forward and punched him in the face. Matt's head swung back, but turned back. "I shouldn't hit you, as I'm a guy right now, but since I'm really a girl…" He backhanded her.

Back outside, Imperialdramon and Gallantmon continued to fight. Imperialdramon already changed to his fighter form and was using his cannon to block Gallantmon's lance. "I don't see a Dark Ring anywhere," Derwood said, from inside of Gallantmon's body.

"I see it!" Rikamon shouted, "On the shoulder!"

Derwood and Takatomon saw where Rikamon was mentioning. They worked together and swung the lance around, and Imperialdramon went to attack them. This left the shoulder wide open for his Shield of the Just. The beam of energy crashed into the Dark Ring. It cracked, then fell onto the ground.

Down below, Davis and Ken started screaming. Dark Rings that were hidden on their own shoulders shattered and the pieces fell out of their sleeves and bottom of the shirt. They stared at each other. "W..what happened?"

Eaglemon was busy fighting both Ikkakumon and Kabuterimon. Both of the Digimon attacked at the same time, but the Champions didn't do much to hurt the mega. When Eaglemon realized that the Dark Rings were probably on the shoulder, he was better able to find them. He saw the two rings on their arms and attacked. The two rings cracked and fell off, just like the two rings on Joe and Izzy's arms.

After Sam quickly disposed of the rings on Yolie and Aquillamon, Angewomon and Shakkoumon were left.

"You aren't going to stop us you know," Tk said, "My queen will win, and I'll stand by her side as her top lieutenant!"

"Tk, don't you know that she's controlling you!" Kari protested.

"You're lying!" he screamed, "Shakkoumon attack!"

"Angewomon!" Kari shouted.

The angel Digimon fired her Celestial Arrow while Shakkoumon attacked with his Kachina Bombs. The two attacks struggled to overcome each other, but Angewomon's arrow overcame and knocked the Dark Ring off of Shakkoumon's arm. Tk and Cody soon followed.

"That's all of them," Kari said, "Now it's just up to Tai."

Back in the sky, Tai the Garudamon, Sara and Metalgarurumon fought in a fierce dogfight. "I don't see a Dark Ring!" Tai gasped.

"Maybe because Dark Sora's in Matt's body, so Gabumon is kinda like her partner now."

"Great," she sighed. She looked back into the top of the apartment building and saw Sora and Matt.

Sora grabbed a fallen piece of metal and started swinging. Matt just laughed. "Can you really hurt me, your friend Matt?"

"You're not Matt," she said. She swung the piece of metal in Matt's arm. He yelled out in pain while a big red gash appeared.

"Oh my.." she said, dropping the piece of metal. She placed her hands over her mouth, "Matt, I'm sorry!"

Matt wanted to hurt her, but didn't. Instead he looked at the machines that held Dark Sora's real body. His eyes opened wide when he saw the reading the meters were giving him. "It's done. It's done! My body is ready!"

He ran over and touched his real body on the chest. He concentrated as hard as he could and was transferred back into the true body. The top of the building exploded with light, and when it faded Sora was in Tai's arms, Matt and Gabumon were in Sara's arms, and the evil Dark Sora was floating in the sky.

She still looked like Sora, but with longer red hair and giant, black wings on her back. She was wearing a much more ragged dress, barely covering her body. Her entire body flowed with black lightning. **"I've done it!"** she laughed, **"I am now a goddess! A Goddess of Darkness and Death! Reality will be mine!"**

She swung her arms and a wave of dark energy attacked each one of the Digidestined. Only the members of Tai's group were still conscious.

**"I should move on before Ryo senses me," **she said, **"But I think I'm going to enjoy killing you and getting back at you for stopping my revenge against the one you called 'Emperor Tai'!"**

She was about to attack but stopped. **"No! All ready!"**

"What's she talking about?" Sora asked, very weak.

"It's bad," Sara said, "Real bad."

"What do you mean?" Takatomon asked.

"_He's_ here," she said.

"Who?"

Sara was about to answer when a giant light exploded in the sky and a gigantic figure appeared on the adjacent building roof.

"Milleniumon," Sara said.

Dark Ryo was standing on top of Milleniumon's head and he grinned amusingly. "So, Queen Sora, I see that you have succeeded in gathering all of the Dark Spores."

**"That's right. I've got more power then you now."**

"That's what you think," he said, "I didn't need the Dark Spores for energy, just to open the entrance to the Ultimate Reality."

"**Ultimate Reality?"** she asked, "**What is that?"**

"It doesn't really matter now," he said, "Once I kill you and take all of your energy, you won't exist in any reality."

She grinned. **"Come and get me."**

Milleniumon growled and fired from the two giant cannons that were mounted to his back. Dark Sora created two black shields that blocked the attack. She flew into the air and started firing black balls of energy like machine guns into the god Digimon. He punched Dark Sora in the face, but she staggered back, uninjured.

**"If you think that hurt me, think again!"** she laughed. Her black wings started flapping quickly. This made a large whirlwind that sent Milleniumon into a tailspin before he landed on the ground.

"You really think your puny powers can stop me? I am a god!"

**"And I'm a Goddess,"** she said, "**And I don't think _your_ puny powers can stop _me!"_**

"Is she really that powerful?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," Sara said, "She could easily be as strong as Milleniumon, or even stronger. Apocalymon is dead, so there's no real way I can guess the power increase she got from him, but if I add the powers of emperor Tai and Alice together….It's pretty close."

"Either way, we lose," Tai said.

Up above, the war of the gods continued. Dark Sora was now punching Milleniumon in the side of his face. Dark Ryo was floating in the sky above them, frowning at his partner's imminent defeat. Dark Sora was about to send a big energy bolt into Milleniumon, but, surprisingly, Dark Ryo jumped between them. Dark Sora was so shocked that she did stop her attack.

**"How dare you!"**

"Yes, I dare," he grinned, "You think you really have us beat, don't you? Well, I've got news for you, we have a special ability. Milleniumon, this fight has gone on long enough! Bio-merge!"

Milleniumon and Dark Ryo suddenly merged together into a brand new shape: a dark being sealed inside of a crystal. "I am MoonMilleniumon," he said in a mixture of Dark Ryo and Milleniumon's voice, "and you are finished!"

The crystal flew forward and butted Dark Sora in the stomach. She cried out in pain and flew backwards. She tried to fight back, but MoonMilleniumon was too fast for her. He fired a series of small crystals from inside of him, that struck Dark Sora all across her body.

She now had a giant gash inside her stomach, which was growing fast. Her entire body was disappearing. She stared up at MoonMilleniumon.

**"You think you've won, huh? You think this ends it? It will never end, never! I was born of Sora Takenouchi's anger, her depression, her hate! She is Love, I am Hate! You think your dark powers will stop me? Ha! I _am_ the Darkness!"** She stared at him, as her body vanished, all except for her eye. She stared up at him. "**And when we meet again in the world of darkness, _I_ will be the victor." **Her eye completely vanished into the night sky.

The area where she once was suddenly started to glow and fired out a stream of black energy that was absorbed by MoonMilleniumon. "The Dark Spores are mine!" he laughed, "The Keys to the Ultimate Reality are now mine! I will rule every reality!"

To be concluded….


	38. The Final Battle: Part 3

The Final Battle: Chapter 3

"Where is he?" Tai shouted, "Dark Ryo and Milleniumon are gone!"

Kari was almost shaking. "I…I…"

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"So much power," Kari said, "He killed the evil Sora, and took all of her power…He's so evil, so dark…."

"And now he's going to the Ultimate Reality!" Sora shouted, "And we don't have any idea where it is!"

"Actually, we do," Sara said.

"What do you mean?"

"The training that Willis made me go through made my reality powers so much stronger, and since Dark Ryo and Milleniumon merged together and stole the Queen Sora's power, I can feel him, I know where he's going."

"You can?" Takatomon asked.

"Yeah, it's like this…giant black hole, sucking all energy in…it's really hard to explain."

"We'll take your word for it," Tai said, "Just take us there, now!"

At the entrance to the Ultimate Reality…

Yamaki flicked his cigarette into the ground when he saw a massive dark mass heading towards them. "He's here."

Riley and Taily nodded in agreement. They watched as the dark mass landed before them, revealing the face of Dark Ryo. His body was covered with crystals.

"Dark Ryo?" Yamaki asked.

"I have merged with MoonMilleniumon, call me Moon Ryomon. What have you to report?"

"As you can see, we've occupied the summer camp and located the entrance."

"Excellent, show me."

He brought him over to an arc-like structure. "Here, this is the entrance."

Moon Ryomon nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can feel it! Stand back, as I open the door!"

He raised his hands, then shot them forward. He fired a blast of black energy that struck an invisible area beneath the arc. "It will take some time," he said, "But we will enter it!"

"No you won't!"

Moon Ryomon frowned. "It's them! Yamaki, stop them!"

Yamaki began to fire his special gun at the biggest digimon in sight, Female Tai's Eaglemon.. Tai had digivolved to Garudamon, Takatomon, Rikamon and Derwood bio-merged to Gallantmon, Sara had her staff ready and Sam was armed with her claws.

"Attack!" Yamaki ordered.

The Hypnos army began to fire their own special weapons. Eaglemon and Gardumon began to attack the foot soldiers, making simple work of them. Sara used her staff to attack Riley, while Sam and Taily fought. Gallantmon went straight for Yamaki.

Riley kicked Sara in the face. She countered by using her staff to smack her in the face. "You're pretty good," she said, "I recognize those moves, Nonaka's right?"

"Yup, she taught me everything," Sara said, attacking again.

Riley blocked the staff with her hand then punched her in the face. "Well, I've got bad news for you, I could always beat her!" She kicked her again.

Sara smiled. "Well, you forgot that Rika taught me how to fight, but Ryo taught me how to manipulate reality."

She held out her palm and fired a blast of electricity. Riley began to shake as she was electrocuted. Sara finished the attack by swinging her staff, which sent a wave of light into Riley, slicing her in half.

Meanwhile, Sam and Taily were fighting as well. She was trapped in the body of a ten-year-old, which made Sam thought that she could easily beat her. But Taily was surprisingly fast and agile. Every attack Sam made with her wrist-based claws didn't even touch her.

"You're pretty fast."

Taily smirked. "I'm small, that's why. You're too big and slow…and you're a little chubby around the waist."

"What?" Sam gasped. She looked at her waist. Sure, maybe her waist wasn't as skinny as other girls her age, but there was no way she was fat.

"I'm gonna kill you for that! Here something that Jeri Kato taught me" Her shoulder-length brown hair suddenly grew to her waist and started to snake around her. The hair fired a wave of sharp needles, covering Taily's body. Sam was now easily able to use her claws to slash into the girl's chest.

Gallantmon and Yamaki stared at each other. "This is the final battle for us!" Gallantmon shouted in Takatomon's voice.

Yamaki grinned and twirled his shotgun in his hand. "All right, let's do it." He quickly fired as quick as he could. Gallantmon blocked with his shield, then jabbed with lance. Yamaki jumped into the air, then landed on the lance. He ran up the weapon and jumped into the air again, pointing the reality rifle at Gallantmon's head and fired again. The mega Digimon staggered back, but was able to knock Yamaki into the ground with his shield. He slammed his foot down on Yamaki's legs.

"My legs!" he shouted, "You broke them!"

"That's not all I'm going to break," Gallantmon said. He smashed his lance into Yamaki's head. "There, Jeri, you can rest in peace."

Eaglemon, Angewomon, and Garudmon made quick work of the Hypnos soldiers, and Tai's group met up in front of Moon Ryomon.

"All your soldiers are gone," Garudamon said, "It's over, give up."

"Never!" he shouted, "The Ultimate Reality! It's mine!"

A glowing hole opened beneath the arc. "The Ultimate Reality! It's mine!" he laughed with glee. Before anyone could stop him, he jumped inside.

"No!" Gallantmon shouted.

"We've got to go after him!" Angewomon shouted.

"Yes, we need to," Sara said, "But not you, only me, Sam, Female Tai, and Gallantmon."

"What?" Kari protested.

"The rest of you belong in this reality, you're finally home, we can't risk never getting back here."

"I'm going too!" Garudamon shouted.

"Tai…" Sara said.

"If we don't get the regular Ryo out of Moon Ryomon, then I'll never get my own body back! I have to!"

She sighed. "All right."

"What about us?" Sora asked.

"Please stay here," Garudamon said, "Please."

She sighed. "All right, but you'd better come back."

They nodded and the small group jumped inside. "There they go," Angewomon said, "They'd better come back…" She looked around for the Golden Labrador. "Where's Alice?"

Inside the Ultimate Reality

Tai found himself lying on a pink bedspread. He was surprised to find he was Taimon, a Gatomon look-alike. The door opened and Kari walked inside. "Hi, Taimon," she smiled, petting his back, "Did you have fun when I was at school?"

"Kari's what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, lifting him up, "Now come on, I thought we were going to spend the afternoon at the park."

Before he could protest, he was shoved into the basket on her bike and was trapped as she rode to the park. Once there, Tai jumped onto the ground and stood by Kari's side. "So," she asked, "Which ride do you want to do on?"

Tai blinked a few times, and he was standing in the center of a giant amusement park, with Kari standing by him. "Okay, little brother," she smiled, "Which ride to you want to go on first?"

He looked at the biggest roller coaster and pointed. "There."

"I don't know, you may be too short…but I try to sneak you on," she smiled.

After the ride, Tai and Kari were standing on line at the food stand. Kari handed Tai a giant pretzel. "Thanks Kari," he said.

She grinned. "Anything for my little brother."

"Tai!" he heard his mother shout. He turned around and was suddenly standing on a beach. He was five-years-old again. His Kari clothes were replaced by a pair of swimming trunks. He was still holding the pretzel.

"Tai, over here!"

His mother was much younger again, wearing a two piece blue swimsuit. He ran to her, but slipped and his pretzel fell into the sand. He couldn't help it, but he started crying. His mother ran over and hugged him.

"Oh, it's okay. We'll get you another one."

She held his hand and brought him over to the pretzel stand. "Excuse me, my son dropped his pretzel in the sand."

The man behind the counter smiled and handed another pretzel to Tai. "Here you go little guy."

He sniffled. "Thanks."

His mother grinned. "Well, you'd better enjoy it now, because once you get older, your cute act won't work."

They walked back to their blanket and Tai sat down and started eating. After he was done, he reached for his soda, but was shocked to find it was sitting on a table. He was in his dinning room, and he was ten-years-old again.

He looked across the table and saw a thirty-something Sora washing dishes at the sink. She was wearing clothes Tai normally saw on his own mother. What was going on?

He pounded the table, and Sora turned to him. "Tai's what's wrong?"

"I…I don't know!"

She walked over and hugged him. "Listen, I'm sorry about slapping you the other day, but it's only because I love you. And just remember, I'll always be your mother. I love you."

"I love you too!" he said, hugging her back.

She smiled. "Now, finish up your homework and you can watch some t.v."

He finished and ran into the living room. He sat down on the floor and turned on the television. He gave a content sigh and laid down on his back. When he tried to sit up again, he found he couldn't. He wasn't lying on the floor either, it was something soft. There were baby toys surrounding him, and he was inside of a playpen. He was a baby again.

He managed to sit up and realized he wasn't wearing anything except for a diaper. A five-year-old Kari was sitting on the floor outside of the playpen, watching some kind of little girl show.

Tai ran after her, but as soon as he step through the door, he was suddenly in a baby carriage, being push by a five-year-old Kari.

"Okay, it's time to eat," he heard his mother said. Kari jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Mrs. Kamiya lifted Tai and placed him in a highchair in the kitchen. She started to feed him, and then changed his diaper. As a baby, he didn't have to even worry about using the bathroom, he could just go whenever he wanted, and someone else would be there to change and take care of him.

Mrs. Kamiya smiled. "See Tai, isn't it better to be a baby forever? So carefree, just say the word and I can make it happen."

Tai gasped.

"Come on," five-year-old Kari said, "Isn't this perfect, or do you want something else?" She suddenly grew much older, stopping at age 16. Tai was suddenly 12.

"Won't this be better?" the now 16 year old Kari asked, "You could live as the little brother forever. I would always be here to watch out for you, and spoil you. After being the oldest for 14 years, wouldn't it be nice. Or do you want something else?"

The 16 year old Kari changed to the normal Kari, and Tai changed into Taimon. "Or do you want it like this? A Digimon. You could spend every day sleeping around the house, until I came home, then we could travel to the Digital World, fight some battles and come back home. You could sleep on my lap, never have to worry about school, jobs, money, ever again."

"How about this?" his mother asked. Tai was suddenly 5 years old. His mother also became younger.

"Five-years-old, old enough to play video games and soccer, but still young enough to not have any responsibilities, and since you only have your mother, she'll spoil you senseless."

She smirked. "I know what you want." Her features changed to match Sora's perfectly. Tai grew to 10 years old. "How about this? You're still a kid, but Sora will always be with you. You can finally be with Sora forever, and she'll take care of you, isn't that what you want?"

"No, this isn't real!" Tai finally said, "None of this is real! I don't want any other world! Sure, my world's not perfect, but it's my world!"

He was suddenly alone, once again a cat. He was standing in a hall with doors on both sides. "I've got to find the others."

He ran to the first door and pushed it open. Once he walked inside, he was standing in his high school and he was dressed in a girl's school uniform.

"I'm a girl again," he sighed. He just stood in the hall for a second, looking at the other students. He gasped when he saw Sara standing by a locker, dressed in a boy's school uniform.

"Sara!" he shouted, running over to her, "Sara!"

She gave him a confused look. "Tai, why are you calling me that? My name's Matt, remember?"

"Matt? Oh know, the same thing's happening to you." He started shaking her, "Sara, listen to me!"

"Tai, what the heck's wrong with you?"

"Listen! You're not Matt…okay, maybe you are, or were…" He shook his head, "Is this what you really want? Yeah, maybe you were Matt, but you're Sara now! This isn't real! Sara!"

She blinked a few times. "Tai. I…I'm sorry. It was like, everything I ever wanted…" She stared at him. "Come on, let's get the others."

They ran back into the hall. Tai changed again to a cat. They ran into the next door, and this time Tai became his male self, five years old again, and Sara wasn't anywhere in sight.

He was in a playground when he felt someone slap him on the back. He turned and saw a five-year-old Sam giggling. "You're it!" She ran towards the jungle gym.

"I know what world I'm in, this is the one where Kari and I are twins, and since Sam is the reincarnation of Kari from the Emperor Tai world, then…" He ran after her.

"Sam, Sam!"

She giggled again. "Oh, are we planning pretend?"

"Sam!"

"I'm not Sam, I'm Supergirl! And you can be the icky poopy head that Supergirl beats!" She laughed again.

"Sam," Tai shouted, "Listen to me! I know that this is probably what you really want, a world where your brother isn't dead, but he is! Your brother became the Digimon Emperor, and he gave his life to save us! If you just pretend that this is your world, then you dishonor the memory of your real brother!"

Sam stopped running around and stared at him. "You're right. My real brother's dead, and I can't pretend that I'm still Kari too." She looked at him. "I wish you were my real brother."

Tai just said. "Come on, Sara's waiting."

"Sara," she smiled, "She's my family now."

The third door Tai went through changed him into a 10 year old girl, dressed in a simple pink dress. He was trapped inside of a cage. Derwood was standing before him. "I've caught you, you reality terrorist." He looked over his shoulder where Yamaki was standing, "See, chief, I'm the best member of the Reality Police."

Yamaki nodded. "Excellent work, Derwood. You'll be getting that promotion after all."

Suddenly the walls of the room they were in blew apart as a girl in a green jumper along with Takatomon and Rikamon came running inside. "All right!" the girl shouted, "Takatomon, Rikamon, get them!"

"You got it Jeri!" Takatomon shouted, He digivolved to Growlmon and Rikamon digivolved to Kyuubimon. They charged at Derwood and began to fight him. Tai managed to kick the cage door open and climbed out.

"Derwood!" he shouted, "Takato, Rika, stop!"

Their battle ceased and they stared at him. "You're free!" Derwood gasped.

"Listen to me!" he shouted, "This isn't real! Derwood, do you really want to be Yamaki's lackey again? He was just using you to try and open the Tamer's reality!" He looked at the two human/digimon, "And you two, is this what you really want? I know you miss Jeri, but do you really want to be her Digimon partners? Come on, this isn't real!"

The three shook their heads. "I don't believe it," Derwood said, "All this time, and I still was just looking for Yamaki's approval."

Takatomon frowned. "And I was so eager to see Jeri again, that I didn't care if I was her partner or not."

"Same here," Rikamon said.

The last door that Tai went through found him changed into a Biyomon, the for he had when he returned home. He was standing in his room, at least it looked like his room, only covered with female things. The door opened and Female Tai walked inside.

"Biyomon!" she smiled, "I didn't know you were coming, I would have baked something for you." She mentioned to the door, "Kari and Gatomon are in the living room."

Tai waddled out and saw the male Kari sitting on the couch, playing with Gatomon. "Isn't it great?" Female Tai grinned, "My brother's out of the hospital, my relationship with Matt is going great!"

"Tai, this isn't real," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tai, none of this is real! It's only an illusion! Your brother's really in the hospital, and if we don't stop Moon Ryomon, he'll die!"

Female Tai's smile faded. "You're right. I can't take the easy way out. I have to save my brother!"

Finally, Tai's team was together again. "All right," Derwood said, "Where do we go now?"

Rikamon mentioned to the door at the very end of the hallway. "How about that one?"

They nodded and ran through it, ending up hovering in a complete white space, except for one massive dark mass directly in front of them, Moon Ryomon.

"So, I guess you just couldn't accept the reality I gave you, you could have just been happy."

"And let you rule everything?" Tai shouted, "No way!"

Moon Ryomon chuckled. "You know, it's hard to feel threatened by a cat! Prepare to die!"

A dark ball of energy formed over his head and he flung it forward. Tai braced for the impact, but surprisingly, it struck everyone else besides him.

"Tai!" he shouted, "Derwood, Takato, Rika, Sara, Sam!"

"We're still here," Takatomon said, weakly.

"But not for long," Moon Ryomon laughed. He was about to attack again, but stopped when he saw a Golden Labrador entered the white space.

"Ryo, stop!"

He laughed. "And what if I don't? I'm sorry Alice, but all you soon like is a mad dog barking!"

"Dark Sora changed me into this, but you didn't change me back! And you have power that rightfully mine! It was given to me when Apocalymon died!"

"Your world only," he grinned, "And no way, that power is mine! And I'll use it to suck all the energy from the Ultimate Reality to rule everything and every when!"

Alice simply walked in front of the fallen heroes. "What are you doing?" Tai gasped.

"I'm going to stop him," she said.

Moon Ryomon laughed. "Oh really?"

"You made me forget the love Tai and I shared," she said, "And then you made me manipulate and tease him! I'll never forgive you for that!"

Moon Ryomon continued to laugh. "Oh come on, I think I was much better then him, huh? Then again, you always were a real dog!"

Alice started shouting at him. "You're going to pay for everything!"

"Oh, I've grown tired of you, prepare to die!" He threw the black energy ball into the Golden Labrador, ripping apart her body.

"Alice!" Tai shouted, but it wasn't any use. She was gone. He did hear one last thought in his mind, of Alice saying, "I'm coming Tai."

"You monster!" Derwood shouted.

"You worse then any villain on television!" Female Tai yelled.

"We're going to stop you," Rikamon said, struggling to get to her feet, "No matter what."

Tai suddenly started laughing. "Tai?" Sara asked.

"I understand," he said, "I understand! Apocalymon's power! Apocalymon's power!"

"What are you talking about?" Moon Ryomon asked.

Tai stared at him. "You are finished! I know how to defeat you know! When Alice died, she told me, somehow, she told me exactly how to use Apocalymon's power! I know how to use it!"

"Oh really?" Moon Ryomon asked. "And, pray tell, if you know how to use it, how are you going to get it?"

"Just…like…this!"

Moon Ryomon suddenly felt a tug, somewhere within his body. His arm shook, and his leg twitched. Soon, his entire body was flipping around like a rag doll as a stream of black energy flowed from his body and entered Tai's small cat body.

"What is going on?"

"I'm taking Apocalymon's power," Tai said, "From now on, it's mine!" His body suddenly exploded with light. When it faded, a teenage Tai was hovering in the air, with a black cape flowing behind him, and giant claws emerging from behind his waist.

Moon Ryomon glowed a dark light, all of the crystals covering his body shattered. He know looked only like a merger of Milleniumon and Dark Ryo. "No!" he shouted, "I used all the Dark Spore energy to open the gate! Without Apocalymon's power, I de-digivolved!"

"**That's right**," Tai said, "**And I now have more power then you!"**

"Impossible!" Ryomon shouted.

**"No! I have the energy of all of my friends powering me! Kari, Sora, Gatomon, Sara, Sam, Derwood, Takato, Rika and Tai! They're powering me! And you, Ryomon, have no friends!"**

"No!" he shouted, "No! How could I lose? How?"

**"Simple,"** Tai said, "**You were so eager on conquering the Ultimate Reality, that you never even thought that you could get your desire if you simply wished for it, but wishes come from the purest part of the soul, and your soul is anything but pure! To take Apocalymon's power from you, all I had to do was wish for it. And now, Ryomon, die!"**

He fired all of his energy through his hands, smashing into Ryomon. He screamed in pain before vanishing in a blast of white light. Tai slowly drifted back down, his body back to normal. "That's it," he grinned, "Apocalymon and Milleniumon are gone."

"You did it!" Sam shouted, jumping up and down.

"We won," Derwood grinned, "We won!"

"What about Ryo?" Takatomon asked.

Tai mentioned forward. "He's right there."

The light that had been released when Ryomon died was now pulling back together into the form of regular Ryo. He grinned at Tai. "You finally did it. It's all over."

"Well," Female Tai said, "I think it's about time we all went home."

They started to walk back towards the exit. "Still," Tai said, "I wonder how this entire reality was created. A place where wishes come true."

As they walked towards the exit, no one saw a glowing creature with long arms and a dwarfish build giggle behind them.

It was dawn by the time they finally stepped back into the summer camp. "Tai!" Sora shouted, hugging him, "You're…you're you! You're human again!"

He grinned. "That's right."

She started crying. "Oh, I'm so happy! I was afraid I'd be carrying you in a pet cage to our senior prom!"

"Hey," Female Tai said, "Since we beat Milleniumon, does that mean my brother is…"

Ryo nodded, grinning. "Yup, he should be fine."

Female Tai started cheering "Yes! Yes!"

Derwood had to smile as well. "Now where am I supposed to go?"

"You could come back with us," Takatomon said, "We're going to need help rebuilding our world."

"I'll be there."

"Now," Sara said, "We have to decide what to do about the damage done to this world."

"What?" Kari asked.

"I mean, we can erase memories if you want."

Kari, Tai and Sora looked at each other. "No, I don't think so. I think we'll deal with whatever happens."

"Wait a second," Female Tai said, "What about me and Agumon? I mean, Willis said he'd be my partner forever now."

Ryo nodded. "Yes, that is true, but since Tai is back to normal, he can still make Agumon digivolve. You'll always be his partner, but so will this world's Tai."

Tai grinned and patted his partner's head. "Yes!"

Ryo nodded. "All right, I think it's time we headed home."

"Are you sure?" Kari asked, "You don't have to leave so soon!"

"I think it'd be best," Ryo said, "Before we cause anymore problems."

Tai turned to Sara. "Jeeze, it feels like I've known you all my life."

"Ditto."

"Just take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded.

Sam and Kari were hugging each other tightly. "Promise me that you'll always be there for Tai," Sam said, "And never take him for granted."

"I never will."

Ryo snapped his fingers and another glowing hole opened behind him. "Come on, let's go."

After giving a final goodbye, the reality travelers leapt inside and the door closed.

A few weeks later…

Sora knocked on the door to the Kamiya apartment. "Hi, Mrs. Kamiya."

"Oh, hello Sora, come inside."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kamiya. Tai's here, right?"

"He'll be right out." She walked to the bedroom door. "Tai, Sora's here!"

A second later, the human boy walked out. "Hi Sora."

She grinned. "Ready to go?"

He nodded. "Yup. We just have to bring a doggy bag home for Kari."

"How is she?"

Tai shrugged and opened the door for Sora. "Not bad. She's only gone five months and two weeks left until she's not grounded anymore."

In Female Tai's world….

Female Tai walked into her younger brother's room with a basketball in her hands. "Hey bro, what's up?"

Kari glanced at her. "What?"

"Nothing, I just wondered if you wanted to play some basketball."

"But you hate basketball."

"Maybe, but I thought it would be worth it if I could spend some time with my little brother."

In the Emperor Tai and Dark Sora world…

The Kamiyas opened the door when they heard someone knocking. It was a brown haired girl. "Hi," she said, "I know you don't know me, but I just wanted to stop by and give my condolences. I knew both Tai and Kari."

Mrs. Kamiya started to cry. Her husband put his hand around her shoulder. "Thank you very much."

She nodded. "Kari and I were like best friends. I was so sad when she died."

Mrs. Kamiya smiled. "Thank you. What is your name."

"I'm Sam."

At the graveyard, Tk was standing at his brother's grave when he heard someone stepped up beside him. It was a blond haired girl. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, that's okay." He mentioned to the tombstone, "Did you know Matt?"

"Yes, I did. I was so sad when he died."

"He didn't die," Tk spat, "He was murdered by his supposed friend!"

Sara shook his head. "Maybe Tai wasn't completely bad."

"What?"

"I mean, I'd just prefer to think of him before he became corrupted. That's how I want to remember him."

Tk nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I don't want all this hate, but I can't make it go away."

"It will," Sara said, "As long as you don't let it rule you."

He smiled. "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Sara."

In the Digital World of that same world, a transparent image of a young red-headed woman was walking through a grassy field. "My dark side still lives," she sighed, "I can feel it." She smiled slightly, "I guess evil can never be defeated, only contained and controlled. Every person has evil within them, it is that person's choice whether to let that evil out."

THE END.


End file.
